COMPLIVIEMTS  OF 

CHARLES  MILLER,  Pre:'- 
Galena-Slgna!  Cil  Cb.  ; 

FRANKLIN,   PA. 

SOLE  MAK'UFACTURERS  OF  Trii 

"elcbrated  Galena  Car,  Engine  and  Coach  0 lis 
and  Sible/s  Perfection  Valve  and  Signal  Oils. 


John  Washington  Steele  (Coal  Oil  Johnny). 
Taken  during  Philadelphia  Career. 


Coal  Oil  Johnny 


Story  of  His  Career  as  Told 
by   Himself. 


(John  Washington  Steele. ) 


FRANKLIN,  PA.,  1902. 


Copyright,  1902,  by 
John  Washington  Steele, 


Press  of 

Hill  Publishing  Co., 

New  York. 


List  of  Illustrations. 


John  Washington  Steele  (Coal  Oil  Johnny).    Taken  dur- 
ing Philadelphia  Career. 

Home  of  "Coal  Oil  Johnny"   on  the  old  farm.      The 
Culbertson  McClintock  House. 

Mouth  of  Oil  Creek,  next  day  after  a  pond  freshet. 

View  of  Oil  Creek  from  Steele  Farm.     Looking  towards 
Rynd  Farm. 

View  down  Oil  Creek  from  Steele  Farm,  showing  Rouse- 
ville  on  the  left. 

"Coal  Oil  Johnny"  standing  at  the  site  of  the  famous 
Hammond  Well. 

Latest  Photograph  of  Mr.  Steele,  "  Coal  Oil  Johnny." 


Introduction. 


So  much  of  a  misleading  nature  had  been 
written  concerning  my  career,  that  1  re- 
solved, after  earnest  consultation  with 
friends,  to  present  this  little  volume.  While 
visiting  Franklin,  Pennsylvania,  several 
years  ago  the  matter  was  definitely  planned, 
and  Mr.  S.  H.  Gray  kindly  consented  to  as- 
sist me  in  the  preparation  of  the  volume; 
and  to  him  I  feel  under  many  obligations 
for  advice  and  help.  He  is  the  first  man  to 
whom  I  ever  related  those  incidents  of  my 
life  in  which  the  people  have  always  mani- 
fested so  much  interest.  I  am  also  under 
greater  obligations  to  General  Charles  Mil- 
ler, of  Franklin,  Pa.,  than  I  can  find  power 
to  express.  His  kindly,  helpful  nature, 
which  expresses  itself  in  good  deeds  in  so 
many  ways,  has  proven  a  great  encourage- 
ment to  me  while  arranging  this  volume. 

I  present  the  narrative  to  the  world  with 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

uo  apologies  whatever.  In  it  I  have  tried  to 
clearly  and  succinctly  set  forth  some  of  the 
features  which  appear  to  have  proven  attrac- 
tive when  reference  has  been  made  to  them 
in  the  newspaper  press.  It  would  be  pre- 
sumptions for  me  to  predict  the  cordiality  of 
the  reception  which  this  little  volume  will 
receive.  It  is  published  not  so  much  for  any 
benefit  which  may  accrue  to  me  as  to  set  at 
rest  many  of  the  misrepresentations  which 
have  been  set  in  circulation  concerning  my 
career ;  and  I  have  tried  to  make  the  narra- 
tion as  accurate  as  the  lapse  of  many  years 
will  permit.    I  remain, 

Most  sincerely, 

JOHN  WASHINGTON  STEELE, 

Franklin,  Pa.  (Coal-Oil  Johnny). 

April  22nd,  1901. 


Coal  Oil  Johnny — His  Book. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  incidents  surrounding  my  early  life 
may  not  prove  of  great  interest  to  the  reader 
who  will  search  these  pages  for  lively  and 
exciting  occurrences,  but  they  may  prove  in 
some  measure  attractive  in  showing  from 
what  a  prosaic  existence  may  spring  circum- 
stances which  have  to  some  extent  "set  the 
world  agog." 

I,  John  Washington  Steele,  better  known 
to  the  public  as  "Coal-Oil  Johnny,"  was  in- 
troduced to  this  big  and  busy  world  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1843,  near  Sheakleville, 
Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania.  Whether  or 
not  I  was  born  under  a  lucky  star  is  one  of 
those  things  which  it  is  difficult  to  deter- 
mine. Providence  seemed  kindly  disposed 
to  me  certainly  during  the  early  part  of  my 
life,  and  possibly  would  have  been  as  devoted 
to  me  during  my  whole  career   had   I    not 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

taken  the  bit  in  my  teeth  and  pulled  away  on 
my  own  responsibility,  cheerfully  assisted  at 
times  by  others,  and  leaving  Providence,  fig- 
uratively speaking,  to  go  one  way,  while  I 
traversed  a  path  which  to  a  large  extent  was 
wholly  and  entirely  my  own. 

When  I  was  one  and  a  half  years  of  age 
my  sister,  Permelia,  who  was  two  years 
older,  and  I,  were  adopted  into  the  family  of 
Culbertson  McClintock,  a  well-to-do  farmer, 
comparatively  speaking,  who  lived  on  Oil 
Creek  in  the  County  of  Venango,  Pennsyl- 
vania, across  the  creek  from  and  slightly 
above  the  present  site  of  Rouseville.  So  the 
only  parents  I  ever  knew  were  "Uncle  Cul- 
bertson" and  his  wife  Sarah,  whom  we  al- 
ways called  "Aunt  Sally,"  and  no  parents 
could  have  treated  children  with  greater 
care  and  kindness  than  we  were  treated  by 
this  loving  couple,  whose  greatest  delight 
seemed  to  be  in  doing  good  to  others.  In 
these  later  years  my  memory  has  often  gone 
back  to  them,  and  always  with  a  heart  full 
of  gratitude,  although  not  unmixed  with  re- 
gret, because  of  the  fact  that  I  did  not  al- 
ways so  conduct  myself  as  to  better  pay  the 
honest  tribute  due  their  memorv. 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Hamilton  McClintock,  the  father  of  Cul- 
bertson  McClintock,  my  benefactor,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  the  Oil  Creek  valley — 
for  it  was  known  as  the  Oil  Creek  valley  long 
before  the  time  of  oil  derricks,  flowing  wells, 
and  quickly  acquired  fortunes — and  he  di- 
vided his  acres  amongst  his  three  sons,  Cul- 
bertson,  James  Jr.,  and  Hamilton,  the  latter 
occupying  the  old  homestead,  situated  on 
the  site  of  the  present  and  once  thriving 
town  of  McCliutockville. 

In  those  times  the  farmers  living  along 
that  afterwards  famous  stream  were  depend- 
ent for  a  livelihood  upon  the  produce  of  their 
hard  and  stony  acres.  Measured  by  the 
agricultural  standard  of  other  portions  of 
the  country,  the  land  was  not  fertile,  and 
the  ^'X)odland  to  be  cleared,  and  the  rocks 
to  be  removed,  presented  obstacles  which 
would  have  appalled  a  less  hardy  class  of 
people.  However,  their  tastes  were  simple 
and  their  wants  easily  satisfied,  and  cease- 
less and  untiring  industry  brought  to  the 
homes  of  many  what  in  those  days  were  com- 
parative comforts.  Culbertson  McClintock 
did  not  live  to  see  the  golden  flood  of  wealth 
which  in  later  years  swept  down  the  valley, 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

transforming  everything  as  by  the  wand  of 
an  enchanter,  for  in  the  yeai- 1855  he  died,  at 
the  age  of  forty-five. 

My  boyhood  days  upon  the  farm  were  but 
a  repetition  of  the  existence  of  thousands  of 
other  youngsters  vi^ho  lived  in  comparatively 
isolated  communities.  It  was  a  life  that 
would  have  killed  a  city  boy  with  its  loneli- 
ness, but  to  one  who  had  never  known  any- 
thing else  it  was  chock-full  of  interest  and 
excitement.  Was  not  the  barking  of  foxes 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  house  a  sound 
pleasing  to  the  ears  of  a  youth  who  liked  to 
hunt?  And  were  not  the  cries  of  the  wild- 
cats welcome  music  to  a  youth  who  liked  the 
excitement  of  a  shot  at  the  "pesky  var- 
mints?" And  surely  nothing  could  have 
been  more  exciting  than  for  a  bare-footed 
boy  trying  to  dodge  the  rattlesnakes  which 
were  at  that  time  so  plentiful  along  the 
creek.  I  used  to  go  hunting  for  them  with 
a  favorite  dog,  who  regarded  all  rattlesnakes 
as  his  legitimate  prey,  and  knew  how  to  des- 
patch them  with  ease.  However,  I  do  not 
recommend  rattlesnakes  as  fit  playmates  for 
children,  but  I  want  to  say  that,  as  snakes 
go,  the  rattler  is  the  king   among   them,   a 

lO 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

gentleman  when  compared  with  other  crawl- 
ing things.  He  never  intrudes  himself  upon 
your  presence,  always  gives  you  a  fair  warn- 
ing when  you  are  about  to  intrude  upon  his, 
and  will  get  out  of  your  way  when  given  half 
a  chance.  As  a  boy  I  knew  him  well,  and  for 
him  I  cherished  a  respect  which  has  never 
dimmed  with  years. 

The  country  bordering  on  Oil  Creek  at 
that  time  was  a  veritable  huntsman's  para- 
dise. Rabbits,  squirrels,  and  game  birds 
were  plentiful,  and  during  vacation  times  I 
enjoyed  myself. 

Once  a  week  I  used  to  sling  a  bag  of  grain 
over  the  shoulders  of  a  horse  and  ride  up 
through  the  lonely  woods  to  Irwin's  mill,  at 
Cherry  Tree.  This  was  rare  fun,  and  I  al- 
ways enjoyed  it  more  than  any  chore  I  had 
to  perform  around  the  home. 

I  presume  the  evenings  were  lonely 
enough,  but  they  did  not  seem  so  then.  In 
the  summer  time  we  retired  shortly  after 
sundown.  But  if  a  boy  does  go  to  bed  it 
does  not  follow  that  he  goes  to  sleep,  and 
many  an  hour  have  I  lain  awake  listening 
to  the  song  of  the  whippoorwills,  and  the 
ghostly  hooting  of  the  owls,  the  cry  of  the 
wildcats,  and  the  bark  of  the  foxes.  („) 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Indeed,  little  did  we  care  in  those  times 
for  the  outside  world.  We  only  dreamed  of 
it,  or  listened  to  stories  of  it  as  they  fell 
from  the  lips  of  some  stranger  or  peddler 
who  chanced  for  an  evening  to  be  enjoying 
the  hospitality  of  the  fireside,  or  maybe 
caught  some  glimpses  of  it  from  the  columns 
of  the  weekly  newspaper. 

In  the  summer  time,  before  I  had  reached 
an  age  where  I  could  assist  much  around  the 
farm,  I  attended  school  at  what  was  known 
as  the  McClintock  school-house,  a  short  dis- 
tance down  the  creek  from  the  farm,  and  in 
the  winter  time  I  received  instruction  at  the 
Blood  school-house,  situated  two  or  three 
miles  above  our  place.  One  winter  I  attend- 
ed the  "academy"  at  Cherry  Tree,  an  institu- 
tion  of  learning  of  some  pretensions  for  the 
time  and  locality.  It  was  presided  over  by 
a  Mr.  and  Miss  Crosby,  and  branches  of 
knowledge  were  taught  that  were  not 
touched  upon  in  the  district  schools  of  that 
period.  It  was  at  this  school  that  I  "gradu- 
ated," that  is,  it  ended  my  education  so  far 
as  schooling  was  concerned,  except  for  a 
short  period  many  years  afterward.  Mrs. 
McClintock  was  a  woman  of  good  education 

12 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

for  those  days,  and  she  possessed  the  prac- 
tical and  sensible  idea  that  it  was  eSvSential 
that  everyone  should  be  more  or  less  versed 
in  "book  larning;"  and  for  this  reason  ad- 
vantages were  atforded  me,  which  compared 
with  those  received  by  some  of  the  other  boys 
of  the  neighborhood  at  that  time  might  be 
considered  exceptional.  However,  I  cannot 
say  that  I  took  advantage  of  the  chances  of- 
fered me  or  profited  by  them  as  fully  as  some 
who  were  less  favored. 

My  "Uncle"  and  ''Aunt"  were  members  of 
what  was  called  the  Seceders'  Church,  with 
a  creed  supposed  to  represent  the  old-time 
Presbyterian  faith,  and  the  meeting-house 
which  they  attended  was  situated  in  Oak- 
land Township,  about  three  miles  from  our 
home.  It  is  standing  there  to-day.  My 
benefactors  being  religiously  inclined,  lived 
conscientiously  according  to  the  light  which 
was  given  them,  and  were  faithful  church- 
goers. "Aunt  Sally"  believed  in  walking  the 
straight  and  narrow  path,  and  tried  to  per- 
suade others  to  walk  in  it;  and  she  drilled 
me  faithfully  in  the  weekly  Scripture  lesson, 
with  the  result  that  while  yet  a  lad  I  could 
recite  the  first  four  Gospels  of  the  Bible,  a 

13 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK, 

number  of  the  Acts,  and  could  answer  cor- 
rectly the  hundred  or  more  questions  of  the 
catechism,  "without  looking  at  the  book." 

Early  on  each  Sunday  morning  the  tasks 
about  the  farm  would  be  completed,  and  the 
family,  seated  in  the  lumber  wagon,  would 
start  for  the  Oakland  church.  The  edifice 
is,  and  was  at  that  time,  surrounded  by  a 
large  wood,  and  the  gatherings  there  on  Sun- 
days bore  no  little  resemblance  to  what  are 
known  in  some  sections  of  the  country  as 
"old  settlers'  meetings."  The  worshippers 
assembled  somewhat  early,  hitched  their 
horses  to  the  trees,  and  the  neighbors  would 
gather  in  groups  and  gossip  of  the  doings 
of  the  vicinity  during  the  preceding  week, 
and,  of  course,  the  crops  and  the  state  of  the 
weather  were  unfailing  topics. 

We  always  took  our  lunch  with  us,  for 
worshipping  in  those  times  required  time 
and  physical  hardihood,  and  refreshment 
was  necessary.  At  ten  a.  m.  Sunday-school 
would  convene  and  continue  in  session  until 
eleven,  when  Elder  Slentz  would  begin  a  dis- 
course which  smacked  of  earnestness,  prom- 
ising eternal  forgiveness  and  happiness  to 
those  who  would  repent,  and  setting  forth  a 

14 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

certainty  of  tire  and  brimstone  for  the  un- 
repentant. His  abjurations  were  always  at- 
tended with  terrific  poundings  of  the  Bible 
or  the  pulpit.  I  boyishly  argued  that  one  of 
his  principal  reason  for  carrying  on  in  this 
way  was  to  prevent  all  the  younger  and 
some  of  the  older  members  going  to  sleep. 
But  that  was  only  a  boy's  way  of  looking  at 
it,  and  possibly  in  my  thoughts  I  did  the 
good  man  an  injur3^ 

After  the  forenoon  services  the  congrega- 
tion were  given  fifteen  minutes  to  lunch, 
after  which  we  would  regather  to  listen  to  a 
second  discourse  from  the  minister,  which 
was  never  less  than  an  hour  in  length. 

No  one  could  blame  a  youngster  for  want- 
ing to  sleep,  but  "Aunt  Sally,"  who  occupied 
one  of  the  seats  at  the  side  of  the  pulpit,  took 
me  in  with  her,  and  by  pinching  and  shak- 
ing managed  to  keep  me  fairly  attentive  un- 
til the  close  of  the  meeting. 

The  congregation  having  thus  become  in- 
ured to  hardship,  were  not  extremely  shock- 
ed when  in  later  years  my  aunt  discovered 
that  I  had  a  voice  suitable  enough,  accord- 
ing to  her  idea,  for  singing  bass  in  the  choir, 
and  persuaded  me  to  join  that  aggregation. 

15 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

As  a  member  of  the  choir  I  did  mj  best,  sang 
way  down  low  while  others  sang  high  or 
half-way  between,  and  in  some  way  escaped 
punishment  for  the  crimes  I  committed  in 
the  name  of  music.  But  "Aunt  Sally"  was 
pleased,  and  that  settled  it  with  me. 


i6 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  house  in  which  we  lived  when  I  was 
a  boy  was  of  the  old-fashioned,  log-cabin 
stj'le  of  architecture,  of  one  room,  with  a 
door  and  window  at  each  side,  while  at  one 
end  was  a  large  fire-place  which  furnished 
light  and  warmth  for  the  house,  as  well  as 
heat  for  cooking  purposes.  About  the  room 
were  strung  festoons  of  dried  apples,  dried 
pumpkins,  and  red  peppers.  The  roof  of  a 
shed  built  against  one  end  of  the  house 
served  as  a  means  for  reaching  the  garret, 
wherein  were  stored  many  of  the  farming 
implements  when  not  in  use,  and  in  this 
room  were  also  placed  the  butternuts,  wal- 
nuts, hickory-nuts,  and  chestnuts,  which  I 
always  gathered  in  the  fall  and  put  away 
for  the  long  winter  evenings. 

In  this  place,  too,  "Aunt  Sally''  stored  her 
"yarbs,"  prominent  among  which  was  a 
goodly  supply  of  boneset,  for  she  believed  in 
the  efficacy  of  the  tea  made  from  that  plant 
as  firmly  as  I  despised  the  concoction.  Were 
anything  wrong  with  my  physical  organiza- 

17 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

tion,  out  would  come  the  boneset,  and  I 
would  be  treated  to  an  internal  bath  until 
my  soul  cried  out  in  protest.  Many  a  time 
did  I  suffer  in  silence  rather  than  to  endure 
a  deluge  of  my  Aunt's  favorite  remedy. 

The  neighborhood  frolics  were  gatherings 
which  I  always  enjoyed.  Nuts  were  brought 
down  from  the  garret,  and  cracked  between 
a  hammer  and  flat-iron,  the  reddest  and 
juiciest  apples  came  from  the  cellar,  and 
cider  drawn  from  the  best  barrel  into  the  big 
pitcher.  And  with  the  old  fire-place  all 
aglow,  the  conversation  seasoned  with,  per- 
haps, crude,  but  hearty,  wit,  hardships  were 
forgotten,  and  the  evenings  would  wear 
away  with  a  zest  and  happiness  which 
were  never  experienced  in  later  life,  and  left 
deep  impressions  upon  the  memory  which 
can  always  be  recalled  with  the  keenest 
pleasure. 

One  day  Mr.  McClintock  purchased  a  cook- 
stove,  and  thenceforward  the  cooking  and 
heating  were  performed  by  this  means;  and, 
while  not  so  cheerful  as  the  old  fire-place,  it 
was  more  convenient,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
we  stepped  up  one  rung  higher  in  the  social 
ladder  than  our  neighbors  who  were  stove- 

i8 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

less.  I  put  my  hands  in  my  pockets,  tipped 
my  hat  back  on  my  head  further  than  was 
usual,  and  went  boasting  among  the  boys  at 
school  about  that  new  cook-stove  up  "to 
our  house."  This  assumption  on  my  part 
excited  base  envy  among  my  comrades,  of 
course,  and  they  at  tinies  would  argue  their 
side  of  the  question  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave 
scars  upon  my  anatomy,  as  well  as  upon 
their  own.  But  I  stood  by  the  stove  with  the 
earnestness  of  an  old  crusader,  and  the  cook- 
stove  won.  It  was  bound  to  do  so,  and  when 
it  did,  was  the  proudest  moment  of  my  life. 

Later  Mr.  McClintock  built  a  frame  addi- 
tion to  his  house  for  living  apartments,  and 
the  old  log  structure  was  made  to  do  duty  as 
a  kitchen.  When  other  additions  came  in 
later  years,  the  old  log  house  was  demol- 
ished, and  the  McClintock  house  looked,  ex- 
cept for  its  age,  as  it  does  to-day  standing  on 
the  hill  above  the  creek. 

The  saddest  incident  of  my  youthful  days, 
when  the  mind  is  so  sensitive  to  impressions, 
was  the  death  of  my  sister.  My  boyish 
grief  for  a  time  was  uncontrollable,  and  it 
was  hard  for  me  to  reason  how  a  Providence 
represented  to  be  so  kind  and  loving  should 

19 


COAL   OIL   JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

take  awaj  one  who  was  so  much  to  me.  As 
time  rolls  on,  they  say  we  forget  to  a  great 
extent  such  things  as  the  passing  away  of 
those  who  have  been  near  to  us:  but  I  can- 
not believe  this  is  strictly  true.  I  think  that 
rather  one  learns  to  better  conceal  the  grief 
from  others  as  time  rolls  around,  though 
the  scar  is  always  there.  Two  years  after 
the  death  of  my  sister,  Emily  Scott  was  tak- 
en into  the  family.  She  was  older  than  I, 
and  her  coming  cheered  the  loneliness  some- 
what which  we  had  all  felt  after  the  death 
of  my  sister.  Some  years  later  she  married 
Richard  MoflQtt,  but  only  lived  about  five 
years. 

As  I  have  already  mentioned,  the  stream 
upon  whose  banks  we  lived  had  been  called 
Oil  Creek  for  years  before  the  beginning  of 
the  oil  excitement,  and  this  name  was  prob- 
ably given  it  because  of  the  oil  springs 
which  bubbled  up  at  different  places  along 
its  course.  One  of  these  was  in 
the  creek  at  our  farm.  We  would 
construct  a  dam  to  keep  most  of 
the  water  away  from  it.  and  the  oil 
would  form  on  top  of  a  pool,  and  be  soaked 
up  by  a  flannel  rag  which  was  placed  on  top 

20 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

of  the  water.  When  this  rag  became  soaked 
with  oil,  the  contents  would  be  squeezed  in- 
to a  bucket.  This  was  necessarily  very  slow 
work,  and  probably  not  more  than  a  barrel  a 
year  could  be  gathered  in  that  way,  but  we 
received  seventy-five  cents  to  a  dollar  a  gal- 
lon for  it  from  those  who  bottled  it  and  sold 
it  under  the  label  of  "Seneca  Oil."  Why  it 
was  called  by  that  name  is  not  clear,  but 
possibly  because  of  the  Seneca  tribe  of  In- 
dians which  in  the  earlier  days  flourished, 
hunted,  and  scalped,  in  that  vicinity.  The 
label  on  the  bottle  set  forth  the  fact  that 
"Poor  Lo"  believed  in  the  efficacy  of  the  rem- 
edy for  his  aches  and  pains,  as  an  induce- 
ment for  the  white  man  to  use  it.  And  use 
it  the  white  man  did,  especially  if  he  were  a 
resident  along  the  creek,  for  all  the  ills  that 
flesh  is  heir  to,  and  took  the  fluid  internally, 
externally,  and  eternally. 

When  Culbertson  McClintock  died  he  left 
the  farm  to  his  wife  for  her  use  during  her 
lifetime,  with  a  provision  that  after  her 
death  it  was  to  go  to  me.  I  was  but  twelve 
years  of  age  when  my  uncle  went  the  way 
of  all  earth,  but,  nevertheless,  I  set  to  work 
with  a  will  to  do  what  I  could  around  the 

21 


COAL   OIL  JOHXNY—HIS  BOOK. 

farm.  I  was  never  accused  of  laziness,  not 
even  in  spending  money  in  later  years.  My 
shoulder  was  thus  early  braced  to  the  wheel, 
and  throughout  the  most  of  my  life  it  has 
been  kept  steadily  there.  A  time  when  it 
was  not,  and  the  circumstances  relating  to 
that  period,  will  be  referred  to  in  some  of 
the  later  chapters.  But  my  life  at  this  time 
was  one  even,  plodding  course,  and  left  ma 
but  little  time  to  think  or  care  for  what  was 
going  on  outside  of  the  confines  of  the  Oil 
Creek  valley. 

And  so  I  might  have  always  lived  a  quiet, 
homely  life,  and  been  always  a  respected 
tiller  of  the  soil,  had  not  a  Yankee  by  the 
name  of  Drake  drilled  a  hole  in  the  ground 
up  near  Titusville,  and  released  such  a  foun- 
tain of  oily  wealth  that  it  started  excursions 
of  fortune-seekers  from  all  over  Christen- 
dom to  our  quiet  and  peaceful  valley. 
Where  before  the  visit  of  a  stranger  had 
been  of  rare  occurrence,  they  now  came  in 
crowds  to  the  quiet  settlements  and  home- 
steads of  Oil  Creek, — high-booted,  flannel- 
shirted  men  on  horseback,  who  offered  such 
amazing  sums  for  a  lease  of  our  stony  acres 
that  it  almost  seemed  a  dream,    They  scat- 

22 


COAL    OIL   JOHNNY— LIIS  BOOK. 

tored  wealth  in  such  profusion  that  we 
gaped  in  open-mouthed  wonder,  and  it  was 
from  these  men  that  I  first  caught  a  glimpse 
of  how  life  was  lived  in  the  great  space  be- 
yond my  limited  horizon. 

A  great  many  of  our  neighbors,  as  well  as 
ourselves,  discovered  that  we  had  been 
camping  right  on  top  of  several  independent 
fortunes  and  had  never  for  an  instant  sus- 
pected it.  Jimmy  Buchanan,  the  good- 
natured  Irishman  across  the  creek,  even  in 
one  of  his  highest  flights  of  imagination — 
and  he  took  a  flight  once  in  a  while — never 
suspected  that  so  much  wealth  would  come 
to  anyone,  even  when  he  was  dreaming  of 
the  glories  of  his  adopted  country  from  the 
bogs  of  "Ould  Ireland."  Scrub-timber  lands, 
which  had  been  considered  of  no  value, 
turned  out  to  be  veritable  gold  mines  of 
wealth. 

Mrs.  McClintock  leased  her  farm  to  a 
number  of  oil  operators,  and  for  each  lease 
received  the  usual  bonus  of  four  or  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  payable  at  the  drawing  up  of 
the  lease,  and  received  one-eighth  royalty  on 
all  the  oil  produced.  The  land  favored  and 
taken  by  the  oil  men  was  mostly  that  por- 

23 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

tion  near  the  creek,  the  low-lying  bottoms, 
for  in  the  early  days  of  oil  the  producers 
ignored  the  hilly  portions,  arguing  that  land 
of  that  kind  would  not  prove  valuable  for 
the  purposes  of  oil  production,  and  as  a  con- 
sequence neglected  many  thousands  of  acres 
which  in  later  years  gave  forth  immense  for- 
tunes. 

So  the  Oil  Creek  valley  became  a  busy  hive 
of  industry  almost  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye.  Derricks  reached  skyward  everywhere, 
and  the  sound  of  the  pumping  engine  was 
heard  in  the  land.  Busy,  hustling  humanity 
had  taken  possession  of  our  quiet  acres  and 
overridden  them,  and,  instead  of  the  peace- 
fulness  of  yore,  the  mad  race  for  wealth  en- 
compassed everything,  and  changed  condi- 
tions completely.  Towns  sprung  up  like 
mushrooms  on  a  fall  morning,  and  attracted 
the  class  of  people  who  always  flock  to  those 
communities  where  law  and  order  are  set  to 
one  side,  and,  as  a  result,  a  reign  of  lawless- 
ness often  ensued  that  was  only  equalled  by 
that  of  the  mining  camps  of  the  West. 

At  the  mouth  of  Oil  Creek,  a  settlement 
composed  of  a  mill,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a 
store,  and  a  few  houses,  grew  into  a  good- 
24 


COAL   OIL   JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

sized,  progressive  city,  whose  growth  of 
buildings  was  too  slow  at  first  to  keep  up 
with  the  inflow  of  population.  An  oil  ex- 
change was  afterwards  established,  and  Oil 
City  controlled  the  oil  market  of  the  world. 
From  the  howling,  bustling,  crazy,  wicked 
place  of  that  time,  Oil  City  has  develoiped 
into  a  municipality'  of  substantial  progress. 
Prospectors  came  and  went,  waded  in  mud, 
slept  in  mud,  ate  mud,  and  drank — well, 
everything  and  anything  except  water.  The 
old  residents  of  the  valley  rubbed  their  eyes 
at  these  sights, — and  bought  safes  in  which 
to  store  the  wealth  which  now  came  to  many 
of  them  so  easily. 

Evidences  of  prosperity  crept  slowly  into 
our  houses,  in  the  form  of  pictures,  carpets, 
and  more  pretentious  furniture,  and  "biled" 
shirts  became  commoner  than  they  had  been 
in  the  earlier  times.  Children  were  sent  to 
colleges  and  academies  to  receive  a  "polish" 
not  theretofore  procurable.  The  wand  of 
the  enchanter  was  over  the  valley,  turning 
everything  it  touched  into  gold,  and  some 
were  there  who  were  getting  ready  to  spend 
it,  and  I  was  no  minor  exception. 

In  the  year  18G2  I  was  married  to  Eleanor 

25 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

J.  Moffitt,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Robert 
Moflfitt,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Oakland 
Township,  Venango  County,  Pa.  We  had 
known  each  other  from  childhood,  had  at- 
tended the  same  church,  and  participated  in 
the  same  neighborhood  festivities.  At  this 
time  I  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  A  kind 
Providence  is  good  to  those  to  whom  He 
gives  a  faithful  and  loving  helpmeet,  and  in 
this  respect  I  was  especially  favored. 
Through  all  my  hardship  and  trial,  in  good 
and  ill  repute,  through  sunshine  and  shadow 
my  wife  never  lost  faith  in  me,  and  to  her 
alone  is  due  mainly  the  credit  for  all  that 
I  am  to-day. 

Our  marriage  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of 
a  son,  Oscar  C,  who  now  holds  a  responsible 
position  with  the  Burlington  Railroad. 


26 


CHAPTER  III. 

With  the  coming  of  the  oil  industry,  neces- 
sarily occupatiou  was  afforded  to  many  of 
the  people  Avho  had  resided  along  the  creek, 
whose  attention  had  theretofore  been  given 
entirely  to  farming  and  kindred  pursuits. 
I  went  into  the  business  of  teaming,  work 
which  was  quite  remunerative  at  that  time, 
as  the  methods  of  transportation  of  oil  later 
adopted  were  not  then  in  vogue.  Barrels 
had  to  be  hauled  from  Union  City,  Franklin, 
and  other  points,  to  the  oil  fields,  and,  when 
filled  with  oil,  these  were  drawn  to  the  near- 
est shipping  point.  Machinery  for  drilling 
and  the  timber  for  derrick  construction  also 
furnished  plenty  of  work  in  the  teaming 
line. 

To  haul  a  heavy  load  through  the  oil  coun- 
try mud  was  something  of  an  art,  and  it 
produced  as  choice  a  vocabulary  of  profan- 
ity as  could  be  found  anywhere  in  the  world. 
jMany  of  the  teamsters  of  the  early  days  of 
the  oil  excitement  took  advantage  of  the  tide 
which  leads  to  fortune  and  laid  by  ample 

27 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

riches.  Certainly  anyone  who  could  over- 
come such  difficulties  as  were  presented  by 
the  muddy  travel  in  those  days  possessed 
sufficient  spirit  to  overcome  the  hardest  of 
obstacles,  and  when  applied  in  the  proper  di- 
rection usually  resulted  in  success. 

To  describe  the  nature  of  the  oil  region 
mud  is  a  task  beyond  my  vocabulary.  It 
seemed  but  a  covering  to  the  bottomless  pit, 
and  a  teamster  who  knew  how  to  swim  pos- 
sessed an  advantage  over  one  who  did  not. 
I  have  never  entirel}^  doubted  the  story  told 
of  one  teamster  who  was  found  standing 
alone  by  the  side  of  the  road,  flourishing  a 
whip,  and  giving  voice  to  choice  exclama- 
tions of  profane  text,  interspersed  with  an 
occasional  "haw,"  "gee,"  "git  up."  A  passer- 
by, having  doubts  of  his  soberness  or  sanity, 
approached  cautiously  and  called  for  an  ex- 
planation of  the  strange  actions,  to  which 
the  teamster  replied,  "Well,  stranger,  I've 
got  a  team  of  mules  down  in  this  blasted 
mud  somewhere,  and  I  am  trying  to  per- 
suade 'em  to  come  out." 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  boasting  and 
betting  among  the  men  as  to  the  merits  of 
their  respective  teams  in  the  matter  of  haul- 

28 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

iiig  heavy  loads.  On  the  road  between  our 
place  and  the  Kynd  farm,  just  above,  was  a 
very  steep  hill,  and  to  pull  a  heavy  load  up 
this  incline,  even  when  the  roads  were  dry, 
was  quite  a  task  for  a  i>()od  team  of  horses. 
One  day  a  teamster  by  the  name  of  Pike  was 
boasting  of  the  heavy  load  which  a  team  of 
horses  belonging  to  him  had  drawn  up  this 
incline,  and  said,  "They  got  up  all  right,  but 
you  ought  to  have  seen  the  parables  fly  out 
from  under  their  feet!"  I  took  it  that  by 
"parables"  he  meant  "pebbles." 

Another  way  of  transportation  early 
adopted  by  the  oil  men  was  by  boat.  Ordin- 
arily the  water  was  not  high  enough  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year  to  allow  a  heavily  loaded 
boat  to  float,  but  this  was  overcome  by  means 
of  pond  freshets.  Various  dams  had  been 
built  along  the  creek  and  tributaries  for  the 
operation  of  mills,  and  one  or  two  others 
were  constructed  by  the  oil  men.  An  agree- 
ment was  entered  into  with  the  mill  men  by 
which,  for  a  certain  amount  of  money,  the 
water  in  the  dams  was  released  at  stated 
times.  This  would  cause  the  streams  to  rise, 
and  the  boats  were  floated  down  the  creek  to 
the  Allegheny  River   at   Oil   City,    whence 

29 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

most  of  the  oil  was  transported  to  other 
places. 

The  boats  were  built  to  carry  oil  in  both 
barrels  and  in  bulk,  and  the  position  of  pilot 
was  an  important  one  in  many  respects. 
The  stream  was  narrow  and  crooked  in 
places,  and  considerable  skill  was  required, 
when  the  swift  rush  of  water  came,  to  steer 
a  boat  around  the  bends,  keep  it  away  from 
the  rocks,  and  prevent  its  colliding  with 
other  boats.  The  craft  was  provided  always 
with  long  sweeps  or  oars,  fastened  to  the 
ends,  similar  to  those  used  on  rafts.  I 
learned  the  business  of  piloting  boats  quite 
well,  and  got  through  the  dangerous  occu- 
pation without  any  serious  mishap. 

On  "pond  fresh"  day  all  was  excitement 
along  the  creek  for  many  miles.  Hundreds 
of  boats,  loaded  with  small  fortunes  of  the 
greasy  fluid,  and  manned  by  anxious  pilots, 
awaited  the  flood.  Finally  the  water  would 
come  with  a  rush,  bearing  with  it  boats  from 
up-stream,  joined  by  others  as  they  came 
along,  and  the  whole  flotilla  go  helter-skelter 
towards  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  Perhaps 
a  boat  by  an  unlucky  collision  would  lose  a 
sweep  and  then  go  whirling  around,  caus- 

30 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ing  dismay  to  the  other  boats,  whose  pilots 
were  doing  their  best  to  dodge  it.  Some- 
times a  boat  would  become  lodged  on  a  rock 
or  some  other  obstacle,  and  as  the  other 
boats  would  glide  past  the  pilots  would 
shout  words  of  ''encouragement"  to  the  un- 
lucky crew,  calling  forth  a  bombardment  of 
profanity  which  would  have  sunk  a  less 
formidable  fleet. 

Having  passed  safely  down  stream,  one 
was  apt  to  get  in  a  jam  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  as  all  the  boats  came  together,  and 
as  may  be  imagined  they  would  not  bump 
together  delicatelj',  but  generally  with  a 
force  that  scattered  kindling  wood  around 
indiscriminately,  and  would  place  the  crew 
in  a  position  where  they  had  to  imitate  the 
historic  O'Grady  and  "swim  out."  Many 
of  the  bulk  boats  were  not  at  first  provided 
with  covers,  and  sometimes  the  luckless 
pilot  would  be  treated  to  an  oil  bath  from 
which  he  would  emerge  with  feelings  too  fer- 
vent to  permit  of  clear  utterance. 

Crowds  of  people  would  assemble  at  Oil 
City  on  "pond  fresh"  days  to  see  the  mix- 
up,  and  were  generally  well  repaid  for  their 
curiosity.    The  pilots  were  a  harum-scarum 

31 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

lot  of  fellows,  who  looked  danger  in  the  face 
recklessly,  and  were  willing  to  take  chances 
after  knowing  fully  how  many  there  were. 
My  experience  taught  me  that  I  was  well 
adapted  for  this  business,  better  than  for 
some  of  the  piloting  I  did  in  later  years. 

Up  to  this  period  I  had  never  been  in  a 
large  city,  and  I  longed  to  visit  one.  So 
when  Mrs.  McClintock  concluded  that  I 
should  take  a  partnership  in  the  store  owned 
by  her  nephew,  David  Hayes,  and  decided  to 
send  me  to  Pittsburg  with  him  to  purchase 
goods,  I  was  delighted.  This  was  before  the 
days  of  railroad  transportation  down  the 
valley  of  the  Allegheny,  and  we  made  the 
trip  by  steamboat.  Never  did  I  enjoy  any- 
thing more  than  my  visit  to  Pittsburg.  The 
scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  river, 
the  passengers,  the  nmnagement  of  the  boat, 
were  features  all  new  and  interesting  to  me. 

In  Pittsburg  Mr.  Hayes  and  I  stopped  at 
a  hotel,  the  name  of  which  I  have  forgotten, 
but  I  have  never  forgotten,  and  shall  never 
forget,  the  gorgeousness  of  the  hotel  clerk 
who  received  us  and  bade  us  welcome.  His 
manner  and  diamonds  dazzled  my  unsophis- 
ticated   imagination,    and    when    he    got 

32 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

through  receiving  us  I  considered  it  a  great 
condescension  on  his  part  to  allow  us  to  stop 
in  the  place.  The  furniture  in  our  rooms  was 
finer  than  any  I  had  ever  seen,  and  I  was 
almost  afraid  to  go  to  bed.  I  had  not  yet 
assumed  the  character  of  "Coal-Oil  John- 
ny," when  rooms  of  the  kind  we  occupied  in 
the  Pittsburg  hotel  would  have  been  rejected 
hy  me  in  that  aristocratic  and  haughty 
manner  which  I  suddenly  acquired. 

Even  after  I  had  overcome  all  my 
scruples  and  retired,  I  could  not 
sleep,  because  I  was  partially  afraid 
that  someone  Avould  come  up  and  order 
us  out.  But  after  a  time  I  concluded 
that  the  room  was  really  meant  for 
us,  and  I  fell  to  thinking  of  the  won- 
derful things  I  would  have  to  tell  to  the 
folks  Avhen  I  got  back  home,  the  hotel 
clerks,  the  cord  which  one  pulled  when  he 
wanted  to  order  anything,  and  all  that. 
Then  during  the  night  I  could  hear  the  po- 
licemen shout  the  hours,  with  the  assurance 
that  all  was  well. 

But  morning  came  at  last,  and  with  it 
came  my  first  experience  with  the  festive 
drink  known  as  the  "cock-tail."    What  par- 

33 


COAL    OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ticular  breed  this  one  belonged  to  I  do  not 
now  recall,  but  I  do  remember  that  to  me, 
who  had  become  somewhat  accustomed  to 
the  iron-rusting,  boiler-splitting,  nerve- 
wracking  fire-water  of  the  oil  regions,  it 
seemed  good;  and  I  struck  up  this  new  ac- 
quaintance in  the  alcoholic  family  and  re- 
mained friendly  Avith  it  for  a  number  of 
years. 

After  breakfast  I  allowed  my  prospective 
partner  to  go  out  and  purchase  the  goods 
thought  necessary  for  stocking  our  oil-re- 
gion emporium,  while  I  proceeded  to  ride 
upon  the  street  cars.  I  was  a  little  timid 
about  this  at  first,  but  soon  learned  how 
to  stop  the  cars  and  get  on,  and  found  all 
that  was  necessary  after  that  was  a  nickel  a 
trip.  My  bashfulness  soon  wore  off,  and  I 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  thing  with  a 
zest  that  would  have  done  credit  to  any  pur- 
suit. I  believe  I  rode  upon  every  street  car 
in  Pittsburg  that  was  on  duty  that  day,  and 
when  evening  came  I  was  acquainted  with  a 
whole  army  of  conductors  and  drivers,  and 
some  of  them  were  calling  me  by  my  first 
name.  It  is  extremely  probable  that  the 
street-car  company  paid  a  dividend  as  the 
result  of  my  visit  to  the  Iron  City.  ^j^) 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

While  in  Pittsburg  I  purchased  a  barrel 
of  syrup.  As  a  boy  I  had  such  a  fondness 
for  this  kind  of  sweetness,  that  I  had  always 
looked  forward  to  a  time  in  life  when  I 
could  purchase  all  of  it  that  I  wanted.  So  I 
resolved  upon  a  fulfillment  of  this  consum- 
ing passion.  Never  had  I  been  able  to 
get  enough  syrup.  I  ate  it  upon  every  ar- 
ticle of  food  that  I  liked.  But  occasionally 
the  supply  would  give  out,  and  my  soul  be- 
come possessed  with  sadness. 

As  our  steamer  plied  up  the  Allegheny 
River  after  my  eventful  visit,  and  the  reflec- 
tion came  to  me  that  the  barrel  of  syrup  was 
also  on  board,  I  concluded  that  the  greatest 
happiness  that  could  come  to  anyone  in  this 
world  had  come  to  me.  A  week  or  so  after 
getting  home  I  fairly  swam  in  syrup,  then 
only  waded  in  it,  and  shortly  got  so  I  could 
get  through  a  meal  without  it  and  without 
feeling  any  qualms  of  conscience.  At  the 
end  of  a  month  I  found  my  greatest  delight 
in  presenting  it  by  the  jugful  to  various 
neighbors  that  I  liked,  and  later  to  the 
neighbors  that  I  did  not  like.  Too  much 
sweetness,  as  well  as  too  much  sourness,  in 
this  life,  I  concluded  was  not  a  good  thing. 

35 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  never  went  into  partnership  with  Mr. 
Hayes,  for  circumstances  so  adjusted  them- 
selves that  heavier  and  weightier  cares  be- 
came mine,  and,  instead  of  the  role  I  had 
been  playing,  I  assumed  one  which  for  gro- 
tesqueness  and  foolishness  soon  gained  for 
me  a  reputation  all  over  the  country. 

Anyhow,  I  do  not  believe  I  was  cut  out  for 
a  merchant,  for  bargain-making  never 
seeemed  to  be  my  forte.  One  instance  of  my 
ability  in  this  direction  will  suffice  to  give 
the  reader  an  insight  into  my  shrewdness. 
At  one  time,  there  being  a  dearth  of  eggs  in 
the  neighborhood,  my  "aunt"  started  me  out 
with  the  horse  and  "cracky''  to  find  some  for 
cooking  purposes.  I  finally  brought  up  in 
Dempseytown,  visited  Merrick's  store,  and 
asked  if  they  had  any  eggs.  Upon  being 
answered  in  the  affirmative,  I  inquired  the 
price,  and  was  astonished  to  find  it  so  low. 
I  then  asked  how  many  eggs  they  could  let 
me  have. 

"About  one  hundred  dozen,"  replied  the 
grocer. 

"What  will  you  take  for  the  whole  lot?" 
I  next  inquired ;  and  the  grocer  naming  a 
lower  figure  than  before,  I  informed  him  I 

36 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

would  take  them  all.  And  I  did.  My  "aunt" 
was  astonished  at  my  idea  of  what  was 
meant  by  a  "few  eggs  for  cooking  purposes ;" 
and  her  liking  for  me  was  well  shown,  when, 
in  spite  of  this  she  was  willing  to  risk  money 
by  putting  me  up  in  the  grocery  business. 


37 


CHAPTER  IV. 

It  took  some  time  for  the  people  to  learn 
all  the  dangers  incident  to  the  handling  of 
petroleum,  and  it  is  a  wonder  that 
more  fatalities  did  not  occur  during 
the  early  days  of  the  oil  business. 
I  might  have  gone  down  in  history 
unheard  of  and  unsung  outside  of  our 
immediate  diocese  had  not  "Aunt  Sally" 
one  day  poured  crude  oil  in  the  kitchen  stove 
for  the  purpose  of  starting  a  fire  therein. 
Doubtless  at  the  time  she  thought  there  was 
no  fire  in  the  stove,  and  therefore  was  not 
prepared  for  the  flash  which  followed  and 
which  set  fire  to  her  clothing,  burning  her 
horribly.  She  died  the  next  day,  in  the 
month  of  March,  18G4,  from  which  date  I 
might  say  began  my  career  as  "Coal-Oil 
Johnny,"  although  the  name  had  not  been 
applied  to  me  as  yet.  I  was  greatly  grieved 
at  the  taking  away  of  this  good  woman  and 
I  mourned  her  loss  as  I  would  have  mourned 
the  loss  of  a  mother.  Her  main  thought  in 
life  had  been  to  make  everything  happier 

39 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

and  brighter  for  all  whom  she  considered  as 
members  of  her  family'. 

She  was  a  ^Yoman  with  ideas  in  advance  of 
her  time,  and  the  world  would  have  been  bet- 
ter off  with  more  like  her.  Most  of  her 
thought  and  planning  had  been  for  me,  and 
she  had  provided  well  for  my  future.  She 
had  always  been  generous  to  me  in  money 
matters,  and  was  generous  to  others  as  well. 
Of  course,  when  oil  was  struck  on  her  farm 
she  received  quite  an  income  from  that 
source.  However,  she  determined  to  be  the 
guardian  of  her  own  fortune,  and  she  bought 
a  safe  in  which  to  store  it.  In  addition  to 
the  oil  income  there  was  something  from  the 
portion  of  the  farm  devoted  to  agriculture, 
enough  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  household, 
and  she  used  but  very  little  of  the  money 
received  from  the  sale  of  oil. 

The  farm  and  the  income  therefrom  came 
to  me  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  McClintock,  as 
I  have  stated,  by  virtue  of  the  will  of  Cul- 
bertson  McClintock,  her  husband.  When  the 
safe  was  opened  after  Mrs.  McClintock's 
death,  I  found  therein,  belonging  to  me, 
twenty-four  thousand  and  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. 

40 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Of  course,  this  sum  fouud  in  the  safe  has 
been  represented  b}^  various  writers  to 
amount  to  as  high  as  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars;  but  the  sum  I  have  stated  is  correct. 
Of  course,  other  money  came  to  me  from  the 
farm,  and  no  inconsiderable  amount,  but  of 
this  I  will  speak  later  on. 

There  were  neighbors  of  ours  in  the  valley 
of  Oil  Creek  who  realized  from  the  proceeds 
of  their  oil  farms  fortunes  several  times  lar- 
ger than  the  one  that  came  to  me.  But  my 
method  of  disposing  of  the  mone}^  which 
came  to  me  was  so  distorted  by  the  news- 
paper writers  that  an  outsider  was  at  least 
partially  justified  in  thinking  that  I  was  the 
only  one  who  ever  realized  a  bank-roll  from 
the  oil  business.  Did  I  care  so  to  do,  I  could 
specify  instances  where  other  oil}'  bank  ac- 
counts at  that  time  placed  my  income  com- 
pletely in  the  shade. 

It  is  a  fact  well  known  that  the  robbers 
secured  more  money  by  breaking  into  John 
Benninghoif's  house  than  I  ever  possessed 
even  when  flying  at  my  top  rate  of  speed  and 
"cutting  a  swath"  as  the  greatest  spend- 
thrift and  all-'round  easy  man  that  the  oil 
country  ever  produced.     However,  some  of 

41 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

those  who  realized  these  fortunes  were  not 
more  successful  than  mj'self  in  holding  on 
to  them,  but  dissipated  them  by  means  of 
speculation  and  similar  methods.  With 
mine  I  scattered  vermillion  along  the  high- 
ways and  byways  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
draw  attention  to  myself,  and  lead  people 
to  think  I  was  a  great  deal  richer  than  was 
actually  the  case. 

As  I  have  stated,  some  of  our  neighbors 
lost  money  by  speculation ;  others  listened  to 
the  siren- voiced  promoters  of  flash  com- 
panies, and  were  scooped ;  banks  failed  and 
fleeced  others.  So  when  one  kindly  old 
friend  got  me  in  a  corner  one  day  and  said, 
"Johnny,  you  ought  to  hold  on  to  your 
money,  because  it  will  come  handy  some 
day,"  I  called  his  attention  to  some  of  the 
above-named  circumstances,  and  eloquently 
informed  him  that  as  it  seemed  to  be  the 
custom  of  the  people  along  the  creek  to  lose 
their  money,  I  intended  to  have  some  fun 
with  mine  before  it  all  got  away.  And  I 
did;  although,  to  be  truthful,  I  closely  re- 
sembled a  shorn  lamb  when  I  had  finished. 

The  people  who  dwelt  in  the  valley  before 
the  days  of  oil,  were  honest,  as  a  rule,  and 

42 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

bad  perfect  confidence  in  one  another,  and 
the  word  of  a  neighbor  was  generally  accept- 
ed to  be  as  good  as  his  bond.  They  were  not 
bothered  by  wily  schemes  of  speculators,  and 
never  bought  green  goods.  Trusting  their 
neighbors,  they  trusted  at  first  everybody 
who  floated  in  with  the  oil  excitement, 
many  of  whom  found  the  confiding  farmers 
easy  marks  because  of  their  unfamiliarity 
with  the  business  methods  of  busier  places. 
And  I  was  innocent,  too. 

I  am  not  going  to  offer  any  apologies  for 
my  course  as  a  "high-flyer."  It  has  been  run, 
and,  knowing  what  I  do  now,  it  would  not 
be  repeated  did  opportunity  offer;  but  had 
I  possessed  a  better  insight  into  the  waj^s  of 
the  world  to  begin  with,  and  been  less  con- 
fident and  trustful,  the  probability  is  that 
such  a  character  as  "Coal-Oil  Johnny" 
would  have  never  been  known  or  used  to 
scare  children  with  when  they  were  bad. 

I  concluded,  from  the  amount  of  money 
found  in  the  safe,  and  which  represented 
one-eighth  royalty  on  the  oil  produced,  that 
the  farm,  for  the  three  years  preceding  Mrs. 
McClintock's  death,  had  produced  eighty 
thousand  barrels  of  petroleum  a  year.  I 
think  this  was  a  safe  estimate.  ^^j) 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Soon  after  the  demise  of  my  "aunt"  I 
went  to  Franklin,  the  county  seat  of  Venan- 
go County,  to  consult  with  a  lawyer  as  to  my 
business  interests.  Already  the  news  of  an 
unsophisticated  country  boy  having  fallen 
heir  to  a  large  fortune,  had  preceded  me.  I 
desired  to  find  out  what  legal  forms,  if  any, 
were  necessary,  that  my  interests  might  be 
protected,  as  well  as  the  interests  of  the  oil 
men  who  leased  various  portions  of  the 
farm.  The  lawyer  advised  me  to  allow  the 
leases  to  run  on  as  they  had  been  doing,  and 
that  when  I  became  of  age  I  could  ratify 
them.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to  give  me 
this  information,  in  fact,  I  do  not  think  our 
talk  extended  beyond  thirty  minutes,  yet  it 
cost  me  five  hundred  dollars,  the  attorney 
explaining  that  this  amount  could  be  con- 
sidered as  a  retaining  fee,  and  that  I  could 
thereafter  feel  at  liberty  to  call  upon  him  at 
any  time  for  additional  advice.  I  recall  dis- 
tinctly, however,  that  there  was  no  obliga- 
tion on  his  part  whatever  to  pay  any  part 
of  the  money  back  provided  I  should  not  see 
fit  to  consult  him  in  the  future.  I  paid  him 
the  money,  however,  without  objection,  as  I 
reflected  that  at  that  time  no  one  in  the  oil 

44 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

regions  was  transacting  business  to  benefit 
liis  health.  But  that  five  hundred  dollars 
was  the  first  peel  otf  the  roll  of  twentv-four 
thousand  dollars  found  in  the  safe. 

I  went  back  to  my  farm  and  attended 
strictly  to  business,  collecting  my  roj^alties 
and  otherwise  employing  my  time,  and  not 
in  the  slightest  dreaming  of  the  giddy  whirl 
into  which  I  was  doomed  soon  to  plunge. 

Next  to  my  liking  for  syrup  I  loved  a  good 
horse.  A  world  full  of  horses  and  syrup 
would  have  just  suited  me  at  one  time;  but 
before  Mrs.  ^IcClintock's  death  I  had  satiat- 
ed my  appetite  for  syrup,  though  I  had 
never  possessed  enough  of  the  "wherewith- 
al" to  satisfy  my  craving  for  a  good  horse. 

With  the  purchase  of  my  first  team  of  real 
good  horses  began  that  long  line  of  misfor- 
tunes which  finally  landed  me  high  and  dry 
as  a  wreck  upon  the  reefs  of  adversity.  A 
devil  always  creeps  into  every  man's  life  in 
some  way  or  other.  The  first  Satan  that 
crawled  into  my  garden  got  there  because  of 
that  pair  of  horses,  and  the  pestiferous  devil 
caused  me  no  end  of  trouble. 

One  day  I  met  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dan- 
iel   Fowler,    who    hailed    from    Meadville, 

45 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Pennsylvania,  and  whose  occupation  was 
the  selling  of  barrels  to  oil  producers,  as 
agent  for  a  cooperage  establishment.  In 
his  hearing  I  expressed  the  desire  to  pur- 
chase a  good  team,  and  he  vent  ired  the  in- 
formation that  he  knew  where  1  could  get 
one;  that  the  animals  were  owned  by  a  gen- 
tleman named  Barton,  who  resided  in  Craw- 
ford County,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Mead- 
ville.  I  went  up  there  and  purchased  the 
team. 

This  was  the  second  dip  from  the  money 
box,  and  it  was  the  only  one  that  proved  a 
profitable  investment.  I  finally  sold  the 
team  for  more  than  I  paid  for  it,  the  selling 
price  being  one  thousand  dollars.  In  other 
respects,  however,  this  visit  to  Meadville  did 
not  result  so  fortunately,  and  in  many  ways 
proved  in  the  end  to  be  more  expensive  than 
any  I  ever  made. 

A  country  boy  coming  into  possession  of 
a  fortune,  which  by  hearsay,  at  any  rate, 
grew  to  enormous  proportions,  with  a  prob- 
able income  for  the  future  which  would 
prove  much  greater,  I  soon  became  known 
for  quite  a  distance  from  my  native  heath, 
judging  from  the  innumerable  requests  for 
46 


-    O 


y.  9 


o 
u 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

money  and  assistance  which  came  to  me 
from  all  directions.  Fond  parents  wanted 
money  with  which  to  educate  their  children. 
I  received  confidences  from  people  who  had 
mortgages  on  their  farms  or  owed  money  in 
other  ways,  as  to  their  financial  standing. 
People  who  held  stock  in  mines  which  were 
veritable  bonanzas  offered  to  part  with  it  to 
me  for  a  mere  song.  Girls  asked  me  for 
money  with  which  to  buy  new  dresses;  and 
others  of  the  fair  sex,  losing  sight  of  the  fact 
that  I  was  a  married  man,  and  not  having 
seen  me,  described  their  charms  in  flowery 
phrases,  and  announced  their  readiness  to 
walk  up  to  the  altar  and  be  tied  to  me  any 
time  I  would  say  the  word.  Maiden  ladies 
asked  me  for  money  wherewith  to  buj-  new 
dresses  and  other  articles  dear  to  the  femin- 
ine taste,  in  order  that  they  might  make 
themselves  so  presentable  as  to  duly  impress 
those  upon  whom  they  had  designs.  By  re- 
fusing them  I  doubtless  saved  many  an  un- 
suspecting male  creature  from  an  awful 
fate.  To  reasonable  requests  I  sometimes 
responded  favorably,  but  I  found  it  was  a 
good  deal  easier  to  lend  money  than  to  get 
it  back.    A  great  deal  has  been  brought  up 

47 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

against  me,  and  much  reproach  heaped  upon 
me,  but  I  can  say  conscientiously  that  I 
never  refused  to  assist  a  friend  in  need 
whenever  I  could  consistently  do  so. 

However,  I  have  noticed  that  when  I  stood 
most  in  need  of  friends  very  few  of  the  beg- 
gars were  around  to  lend  me  their  aid,  or 
even  proffer  a  word  of  sympathy.  Some  of 
those  nearer  my  home,  knowing  my  unso- 
phisticated ways,  started  out  with  the  de- 
liberate intent  to  separate  me  from  my  bank- 
roll. One  of  these  was  Dan  Fowler,  the  fel- 
low who  had  engineered  the  horse  deal. 

I  do  not  wish  to  do  anyone  an  injustice. 
Perhaps  in  most  cases  I  was  my  own  worst 
enemy,  but  Fowler's  actions  towards  me,  as 
I  hope  to  show,  fully  warrant  my  belief. 

He  was  a  plausible  fellow,  of  excellent  ad- 
dress, but  of  the  genus  that  is  best  described 
as  "cute."  When  I  went  to  Meadville  to  look 
at  the  horses  his  manner  to  me  was  most 
affable,  his  words  were  honeyed,  and  I  had 
not  been  in  his  company  fifteen  minutes  be- 
fore my  head  was  Avhirling  with  the  idea 
that  I  was  not  only  one  of  the  sharpest  but 
one  of  the  greatest  financiers  on  earth.  He 
invited  me  to  his  house,  introduced  me  to 
48 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

his  friends,  and  entertained  me  better  and 
with  more  consideration  than  I  had  ever 
knowu  before.  One  of  those  with  whom  he 
made  me  acquainted  was  Mr.  Ilorace  Cul- 
lom.  I  had  not  been  talking  to  the  latter 
many  minutes  before  he  made  me  a  business 
proposition,  the  substance  of  which  was  that 
lie  proposed  to  erect  a  business  block  on  a 
lot  which  he  owned,  situated  at  the  corner 
of  Chestnut  and  Water  streets,  and  he  de- 
sired me  to  take  a  half  interest.  The  induce- 
ments which  he  held  out  were  so  flattering 
that  I  was  not  long  in  making  up  my  mind 
to  accept  them,  and  I  agreed  to  pay  forty- 
five  thousand  dollars  for  my  share.  Articles 
to  this  effect  were  duly  drawn  up,  presuma- 
bly by  Mr.  Cullom  himself,  and  I  agreed  to 
pay  five  thousand  dollars  down,  and  five 
thousand  dollars  a  month  thereafter,  until 
the  total  was  all  paid  in.  He  was  to  super- 
intend the  putting  up  of  the  building,  and 
all  I  was  to  do  was  to  put  up  my  share  of 
the  money.  In  view  of  what  later  occurred 
I  will  state  that,  either  directly  or  through 
my  agent,  I  kept  up  these  payments,  and 
have  in  my  possession  at  the  present  time 
a  receipt  for  the  whole  amount  so  paid. 

49 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation  which 
resulted  in  the  foregoing  transaction,  Mr. 
Cullom  mentioned  that  he  was  the  owner  of 
a  fine  residence  property,  situated,  as  I  re- 
member, at  the  corner  of  Crab  Alley  and 
Chestnut  street,  in  Meadville,  and  as  I  had 
been  so  willing  to  invest  in  the  business 
block,  he  said  he  thought  that  iwssibly  I 
would  be  willing  to  purchase  the  house  and 
lot.  This  led  me  to  visit  the  premises  in  his 
company,  with  the  result  that  I  purchased  it 
for  ten  thousand  dollars.  At  the  same  time, 
I  bought  the  Barton  farm,  where  I  had  pur- 
chased the  horses,  for  the  sum  of  seven 
thousand  dollars. 

I  knew  as  much  about  real  estate  as  a  pig 
knows  about  the  dead  languages,  and  after- 
wards I  discovered  that  I  had  granted  a 
favor  of  considerable  proportions  instead  of 
having  been  the  recipient  of  one. 

Mrs.  McClintock  died  in  March,  and  the 
Meadville  transactions  occurred  in  the  fol- 
lowing May. 

My  ]Meadville  friends  still  insisted  on 
granting  me  favors,  and  Fowler  having  flat- 
tered me  into  a  partial  belief  that  I  was  the 
greatest  and  sharpest  financier  of  my  time, 

50 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

sliortly  after  the  date  of  the  foregoing  trans- 
actions 1  was  induced  to  purchase  several 
choice  building  lots,  for  which  I  laid  down 
the  snug  sum  of  fiftj'-five  hundred  dollars. 

My  wife  was  in  extremely  poor  health  at 
this  time,  and  had  been  for  some  months. 
I  called  in  a  young  physician  from  Mead- 
ville  to  diagnose  her  case,  a  doctor  whom  I 
had  met  on  my  visits  to  that  place.  His  ad- 
vice was  that  a  change  of  scene  would  be 
beneficial  to  Mrs.  Steele's  health.  For  this 
advice  he  did  not  charge  me  anything,  for 
which  I  was  very  grateful.  However,  later 
he  confided  to  me  the  desire  to  borrow  six 
hundred  dollars  in  order  to  take  a  further 
course  in  medicine,  and  I  loaned  it  to  him. 
He  has  it  yet.  At  least  he  never  returned  it 
to  me ;  and  I  have  an  impression  that  I  paid 
pretty  dearly  for  professional  advice  at  that 
time,  both  to  lawyers  and  doctors.  The  ad- 
vice of  the  doctor,  however,  proved  to  be  the 
most  expensive  in  the  long  run,  as  it  led  me 
to  Philadelphia,  where,  before  I  left,  I  dis- 
posed of  a  goodly  sum  of  the  coin  of  the 
realm  in  various  ways.  But  I  have  always 
hoped  that  the  "pill  mechanic"  finished  his 
education  and  lived  happy  ever  after. 

51 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

The  events  here  related,  in  connection 
with  what  occurred  later,  will  show  that  I 
was  gradually  getting  into  a  position  from 
which  I  was  to  emerge  eventually  not  only 
as  a  lamb  much  shorn,  but  very  greatly  dis- 
figured. 


52 


CHAPTER  V. 

Followinji;  the  advice  of  the  good  Samari- 
tau  "who  took  me  iu,"  I  made  arrangemeuts 
to  take  my  wife  and  boy  to  Philadelphia, 
hoping  they  would  be  benefitted  by  the 
change  of  scene  and  climate.  My  father-in- 
law  had  been  a  merchant  in  the  (Quaker  City 
before  moving  to  Venango  County,  and  we 
had  many  friends  and  relatives  in  the  city. 
So  I  hired  an  agent  by  the  name  of  John 
Williams  to  look  after  my  interests  while  I 
would  be  away,  leaving  instructions  for  him 
to  report  to  me  regularly  as  to  business  at 
the  farm.  This  was  in  the  latter  part  of 
May,  1864.  However,  before  starting  for 
Philadelphia,  the  famous  Hammond  well 
came  in.  It  was  located  on  the  flat  portion 
of  the  farm,  down  close  to  the  creek.  It 
flowed  at  the  rate  of  three  hundred  barrels  a 
day,  and  proved  the  center  of  much  interest 
and  excitement.  The  income  from  this 
source  promised  to  swell  my  income  to  no 
inconsiderable  extent,  and  I  jumped  into 
greater  "prominence"  than  ever  as  one  of 

53 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

the  lucky  ^'oil  kings''  of  the  time.  Special 
dispatches,  greatly  exaggerated,  were  sent 
out  regarding  this  new  strike. 

No  fortune  ever  comes  easier  to  a  man 
than  the  income  from  royalties  on  oil.  In 
the  first  place,  there  is  practically  nothing 
to  lose  fiuanciall}',  the  entire  risk  being  as- 
sumed by  the  producer,  and,  if  a  lucky  strike 
be  made,  the  money  from  the  roj^alty  comes 
so  fast  as  to  leave  one  in  a  kind  of  a  trance. 
With  me  it  was  surely  a  case  of  "come  easy, 
go  easy."  All  I  had  to  do  at  this  time  was 
to  loaf  around,  smoke  good  cigars,  and 
watch  my  bank-roll  swell.  Yet  while  it  was 
all  I  was  compelled  to  do,  it  was  not  all  that 
I  did.  So  much  wealth  bothered  me,  and  I 
w^as  itching  with  a  desire,  which  I  guess  had 
always  lain  dormant  in  me,  to  get  rid  of  it. 
The  opportunity  to  do  so  arrived,  and  I  took 
advantage  of  it. 

Also  about  this  time  the  "Lone  Star"  well 
was  struck,  which  was  a  good  one.  At  this 
period,  too,  I  became  acquainted  with 
Mr.  William  H.  Wickham,  of  New 
York  City,  afterwards  mayor  of  that  fam- 
ous metropolis,  I  believe,  and  who  at 
this     time     like     thousands     of     others, 

54 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

was  in  the  oil  regions  seeking  invest- 
ment. He  was  a  member  of  tlie  firm  of 
Wickham  &  Jones,  and  when  tlie  Hammond 
well  was  struck  lie  offered  to  purchase  my 
one-eighth  royalty  right  in  the  lease  for  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  After  some 
thought  I  agreed  to  accept  his  proposition, 
and  one  Saturday  afternoon  the  bargain 
was  verbally  completed.  It  being  late  in 
the  day,  however,  it  was  agreed  that  he 
should  come  to  nn'.  place  on  the  following 
Monday,  when  articles  would  be  signed  and 
I  should  receive  the  money. 

But  alas!  My  fondest  hopes  were  shat- 
tered, and  fortune  frowned  where  I  expected 
to  be  favored  with  a  smile.  On  Sunday  the 
well  stopped  flowing,  it  having  been  flooded 
out  by  water  on  account  of  the  pulling  of 
the  tubing  from  a  couple  of  wells  across  the 
creek  from  it.  I  stood  and  gazed  at  the  well, 
and  realized  that  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars had  slipped  through  my  fingers  without 
the  slightest  trouble,  and  I  felt  worse  about 
this  than  if  some  masked  robber  had  held 
me  and  taken  it  from  me  forcibly.  For  the 
first  time  I  realized  how  it  felt  to  have  my 
hand  upon  a  fortune  and  then  lose  it,  and 

55 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

for  the  first  time  I  appreciated  the  feelings 
of  one  who  had  staked  a  fortune  upon  the 
turn  of  a  card  and  lost. 

However,  in  the  present  case  the  malefac- 
tor was  Nature,  and  while  in  later  life  I 
learned  the  uselessness  of  filing  objections 
to  her  decrees,  I  was  not  so  wise  at  this  time, 
and  some  of  my  kicks  were  of  the  forcible 
variety. 

But  through  the  dark  cloud  of  misfortune 
and  disappointment  I  suddenly  caught  some 
glimmer  of  hope.  I  had  not  agreed  to  part 
with  my  interest  in  the  Hammond  on  the 
ground  that  it  was  a  flowing  well,  and  this 
presented  to  me  a  chance  of  which  I  tried  to 
take  advantage.  As  I  have  said,  our  agree- 
ment of  Saturday  had  not  been  reduced  to 
writing,  and  I  figured  that  if  I  could  get 
down  to  Oil  City  and  have  the  papers  drawn 
up  and  signed  before  Wickham  started  for 
the  farm,  all  would  be  well,  and  my  con- 
science would  be  clear.  Of  course,  there  was 
a  probability  that  he  would  ask  me  if  the 
well  was  still  flowing,  but  I  would  not  be 
able  to  tell  for  sure,  as  it  might  start  up 
again  during  the  night,  and  I  would  not 
visit  the  well  before  leaving  for  Oil  City 
Monday  morning.  (j6) 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

It  was  early  on  that  day  when  my  agent, 
Williams,  and  myself,  hitched  the  fastest 
horse  in  the  barn  to  a  light  buggy,  and 
started  on  a  race  down  the  creek  for  a  hun- 
dred thousand  dollar  stake.  Never  did  I 
take  a  trip  in  which  I  was  so  much  interest- 
ed. The  horse  ran  most  of  the  way,  the 
mud  was  scattered  promiscuously,  and 
through  the  early  dawn  of  that  Monday 
morning  inquiring  faces  peeped  out  at  us 
from  the  windows  of  houses  and  from  derrick 
doors.  To  get  to  Oil  City  before  Wickham 
left  was  my  one  aim  and  purpose,  and  every 
other  idea  was  banished  from  my  head  as  we 
tore  madly  down  the  road. 

It  happened,  however,  that  Wickham  was 
also  an  early  riser,  for  we  met  him  just  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  place.  My  heart  went 
down  into  my  boots,  and  I  reasoned  correct- 
ly that  the  "jig  was  up."  Vainly  I  argued 
that  he  had  better  turn  back,  as  I  was  going 
to  Oil  City  on  business,  and  while  there  we 
could  draw  up  the  papers  and  complete  the 
deal.  Whether  he  observed  any  traces  of 
anxiety  in  my  voice  or  face  I  do  not  know, 
but  I  do  recall  distinctly  that  he  said,  "No, 
let's  go  up  and  take  a  look  at  the  well  first." 

57 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

The  blow  was  struck  right  there,  all 
thoughts  of  the  fortune  vauished  suddenly, 
and  with  sadness  I  turned  my  horse  around, 
and  remarked,  with  all  the  steadiness  I 
could  master,  "All  right,  I'll  go  back  with 
you." 

I  went  back.  I  never  let  him  know  that  I 
was  trying  to  take  advantage  of  a  little  over- 
sight in  language  to  sell  my  interest  in  the 
well.  In  fact,  I  told  him  I  was  pleased  to 
discover  that  the  well  had  stopped  flowing, 
before  he  turned  over  the  money,  and  he  did 
not  know  how  happy  it  had  made  me  that  he 
had  insisted  on  going  to  the  lease  before 
completing  the  agreement.  Yet  I  must  con- 
fess, happy  as  I  was,  I  have  had  far  happier 
moments  in  my  life.  Of  course,  the  agree- 
ment was  called  off,  and  I  compromised  with 
my  conscience  as  cheerfully  as  possible  by 
writing  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  the 
column  of  losses. 

The  newspapers  printed  a  report  to  the 
effect  that  I  received  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  my  interest  in  the  well,  which,  in 
view  of  what  actually  occurred,  was  slightly 
misleading.    However,  it  assisted  in  making 

58 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

my  burdens  heavier,  as  many  hundreds  of 
people,  believing  I  was  animated  with  a  sin- 
cere desire  to  part  from  my  money,  offered 
their  services  as  separators,  and  I  received 
enough  proposals  of  marriage  to  have  caused 
the  most  pronounced  Mormon  to  drop  dead 
from  joy.  The  current  report  that  the 
Hammond  well  flowed  six  hundred  barrels 
a  day  was  also  wrong,  but  nearer  the  truth 
than  the  statement  that  I  sold  my  interest 
in  it. 

In  spite  of  the  unsatisfactory  outcome  of 
the  Hammond  well  transaction,  Mr.  Wick- 
ham  remained  in  the  neighborhood  and  paid 
me  an  occasional  visit.  He  informed  me  that 
he  was  anticipating  a  trip  to  New  York,  and, 
as  this  was  about  the  time  I  intended  leaving 
for  Philadelphia  with  my  family,  he  gave  me 
a  very  pressing  invitation  to  accompany 
him  to  his  home.  This  I  accepted,  and  ar- 
ranged that  my  people  should  follow  me  in 
a  couple  of  days,  when  I  would  proceed  with 
them  to  Philadelphia.  Wickham  seemed  to 
take  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  me;  in  fact,  I 
thought  treated  me  better  than  I  deserved. 
Retaining  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  Ham- 

59 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

mond  well  incident,  I  would  have  taken  it 
as  more  appropriate  if  he  had  refused  to 
consider  that  I  was  on  earth.  But  later  I 
came  to  a  better  understanding  of  his  mo- 
tives. 

I  went  to  New  York  with  him,  smoked  his 
Havana  cigars,  played  billiards  with  him, 
drank  his  good  wines,  and  feasted  sumptu- 
ously. The  sights  of  the  city  interested  me. 
Unlike  my  trip  to  Pittsburgh,  I  did  not  ride 
on  the  street  cars,  but  in  a  stylish  carriage 
driven  by  a  coachman;  and  considered  my- 
self "It."  Wickham  introduced  me  to  his 
friends  as  a  smart  young  man  and  a  great 
financier,  but  I  could  not  guess  the  meaning 
unless  he  had  reference  to  the  team  of  horses 
which  I  had  bought  for  six  hundred  dollars 
and  sold  for  a  thousand.  I  was  so  well 
pleased  with  this  visit,  that  my  mind  was 
made  up  to  see  more  of  the  doings  of  large 
cities,  and  I  did.  I  was  beginning  to  see  the 
world  outside  of  the  narrow  surroundings 
of  my  previous  life,  and  it  was  a  world  which 
attracted  me  more  and  more. 

My  family  joined  me  in  New  York,  and 
we  proceeded  to  Philadelphia.  This  was  in 
June,  1864.     Leaving  my  people  with  their 

60 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

friends  in  the  Quaker  City,  I  returned  to  the 
oil  rejjions,  to  see  how  matters  were  pro- 
^'ressinpj.  And  it  was  on  this  trip  to  the  Oil 
Creek  farm  that  I  discovered  Seth  R.  Slo- 
cum. 


6i 


u 


o 


CHAPTER  VI. 

This  man  Slocum  was  a  man  of  the  world, 
without  all  the  refinements  that  sometimes 
go  with  such  a  character.  His  home  was  in 
Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  he  belonged  to  a 
most  excellent  family.  There  was  nothing 
in  his  face  or  bearing  to  attract  anyone,  but 
he  possessed  a  smooth  tongue  and  an  insid- 
iousmanner,  which  enabled  him  to  easily  win 
the  confidence  of  one  as  gullible  as  myself. 
The  faculty  of  winning  one's  good  will  is  a 
commendable  one  if  used  rightly,  but  is 
dangerous  if  it  is  not,  and,  as  Slocum  never 
showed  any  evidences  to  me  of  having  a  con- 
science, and  as  I  became  his  willing  follower, 
the  result  can  be  guessed. 

I  have  seen  people  on  the  stage  perform 
antics  when  under  the  control  of  hypnotic 
performers  that  they  would  not  have  per- 
formed, for  any  inducement,  had  they  been 
in  possession  of  their  own  will.  And  certain 
it  is  that  under  the  spell  of  Slocum's  in- 
fluence I  cut  capers  without  the  slightest 
protest  or  murmur  that  I  never  would  have 

63 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

thought  of  had  I  been  left  to  my  own  sweet 
self. 

I  found  Slocum  at  the  farm  when  I  ar- 
rived there  from  Philadelphia,  and  he  in- 
formed me  that  he  was  in  search  of  work. 
In  this  way  our  acquaintance  began.  The 
conversation  led  from  one  topic  to  another, 
and  his  ready  tongue  and  patronizing  man- 
ner, which  so  often  prove  attractive  to  those 
not  experienced  in  the  ways  of  the  world, 
allayed  any  suspicion  I  might  have  had,  and 
captured  my  imagination  completely.  In 
fact,  I  was  not  long  in  reaching  the  con- 
clusion that  Slocum  was  the  best  friend  I 
had  on  earth,  one  who  was  solely  animated 
with  a  desire  for  my  welfare  and  happiness. 

Therefore,  when  he  volunteered  to  go  to 
Philadelphia  with  me  and  "show  me  the 
town,"  at  my  expense,  I  considered  he  was 
doing  me  a  great  favor,  and  accepted  his 
offer  with  pleasure,  and  agreed  to  pay  the 
bills  if  he  would  perform  his  part  of  the 
agreement  properly,  I  kept  my  agreement 
so  far  as  I  could,  but  Slocum's  habits  seemed 
to  expand  with  age,  as  did  my  OAvn,  and 
when  we  were  at  the  zenith  of  our  career 
it  kept  a  good  healthy  income  busy  to  stay 

64 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

anywhere  near  us.  Slocum  kept  his  part  of 
the  bar<;aiu  faithfully;  in  fact,  I  sometimes 
thought  he  went  farther  than  he  had  agreed 
to  do. 

Arriving  in  the  Quaker  City  with  my  new- 
ly formed  acquaintance,  I  stowed  him  away 
temporarily  at  the  Girard  House,  and  went 
to  visit  my  family.  I  found  the  house  in 
which  they  were  stopping  quarantined,  and 
learned  that  my  little  boy  was  ill  with  the 
small-pox.  Not  being  permitted  to  see  him 
I  returned  to  the  hotel,  and  took  up  my 
quarters  there,  not  feeling  very  cheerful 
over  the  dangerous  illness  of  my  son.  How- 
ever, in  a  few  days  he  was  reported  out  of 
danger,  and  having  received  news  con- 
cerning my  agent  at  the  farm  which  seemed 
to  justify  a  visit  there,  I  started  back,  and 
took  Slocum  along.  He  went  with  me 
because  he  volunteered  to  accompany  me, 
and  would  not  listen  to  a  refusal.  He  had 
possibly  already  found  out  that  I  was  a 
''good  thing"  and  did  not  wish  to  lose  me. 
I  installed  a  new  agent  at  the  farm,  by  the 
name  of  William  Blackstone,  and  Slocum 
and  I  returned  to  Philadelphia.  Then  in 
October  I  took  my  people  back  to  the  farm. 

65 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

It  was  on  this  trip  to  tlie  old  place  that  I 
next  saw  Wickham  after  our  New  York 
visit,  and  he  agreed  to  purchase  the  farm 
outright  for  one  million  dollars.  This  I  re- 
fused, and  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  re- 
joined Slocum.  However,  Wickham  sought 
me  out  in  Philadelphia  and  renewed  his  of- 
fer for  the  property,  but  again  I  refused 
him;  but,  after  much  bargaining,  it  Avas 
agreed  that  I  would  dispose  of  the  farm  to 
liim  for  twelve  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
Of  this  amount  he  paid  me  thirty  thousand 
dollars  spot  cash,  which  was  to  represent 
the  rental  of  the  farm  at  the  rate  of  five 
thousand  dollars  a  month  for  six  months, 
and,  if  at  the  end  of  said  period  I  could 
make  a  clear  deed  to  him,  the  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars  was  to  be  considered  as  a  part 
of  the  purchase  price,  and  the  balance  of  the 
twelve  hundred  thousand  to  be  turned  over 
to  me. 

Sometime  previous  to  the  making  of  this 
bargain  Hamilton  McClintock,  a  brother  of 
Culbertson  IMcClintock,  my  benefactor,  had 
secured  a  lease  on  the  farm  which  I  had  not 
ratified,  and  he  had  brought  suit  for  the  pur- 
pose of  breaking  the  will  of  Culbertson  Mc- 

66 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Clintock,  by  the  provisions  of  wliich  1  had 
come  into  possession  of  the  farm  at  Mrs.  Mc- 
Clintock's  death.  Therefore,  this  suit  at 
that  time  stood  in  the  way  of  making  a  clear 
title,  and  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  wait 
until  the  litigation  had  been  disposed  of.  In 
the  meantime  Wickham  took  the  farm  on 
the  terms  agreed,  put  his  agent  upon  it,  and 
operated  it  for  his  own  benefit.  It  was  also 
agreed  that,  if  at  the  end  of  the  six-month 
period  I  could  not  give  a  deed,  the  thirty 
thousand  dollars  was  to  be  considered  only 
as  so  much  rental  paid,  and  the  farm  was 
to  come  back  to  me.  Otherwise,  the  balance 
of  the  money  was  to  be  paid  to  me  by  Wick- 
ham. 

Therefore,  all  I  could  do  was  to  wait.  I 
was  temporarily  out  of  the  oil  business,  and 
with  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  my  pocket 
and  with  Slocum  at  my  side,  I  started  out  on 
a  little  "painting  trip,"  all  the  time  harbor- 
ing pleasant  anticipations  of  the  greater 
amount  of  money  to  come  in  the  future, 
beside  of  which  the  sum  then  in  my  posses- 
sion was  a  mere  bagatelle.  The  "beyond" 
looked  rosy,  and  therefore  Slocum  and  I  in 
our  enthusiasm  began  to  sprinkle  a  little  red 

67 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

throughout  the  possibly  at  times  sober  pre- 
cincts of  Philadelphia.  The  money  I  had 
received  from  Wickham  was  deposited  in 
the  safe  of  the  Girard  House,  in  a  private 
box  generously  (  ?)  loaned  to  me  by  the  ipro- 
prietor.  Having  known  of  several  disas- 
trous results  from  depositing  money  in 
banks,  I  considered  this  a  safe  place  for  my 
wealth,  as  I  carried  the  key.  I  never  de- 
posited any  money  in  a  bank  in  Philadel- 
phia, reports  to  the  contrary,  notwithstand- 
ing. 

As  my  transaction  with  Wickham  occur- 
red at  the  Girard  House,  it  became  known 
through  generous  advertising.  On  account 
of  my  youthful  appearance  I  was  stared  at 
with  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  as  the  lucky 
possessor  of  millions,  and  I  held  regular  re- 
ceptions for  those  whose  bank  accounts  were 
in  a  chronic  or  temporary  state  of  depres- 
sion. Chances  came  to  me  to  purchase  all 
kinds  of  property,  to  invest  in  all  kinds  of 
schemes,  perpetual  motion,  and  the  like,  and 
everyone  seemed  willing  to  unload  upon  me 
every  "flash"  company  in  creation,  some  of 
them  doubtless  gotten  up  for  my  especial 
benefit;    some   of   them    so    transparently 

68 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

crooked  that  I  could  see  through  them  even 
when  I  was  in  a  condition  that  would  not 
have  permitted  me  to  walk  a  rope  across 
Niagara.  But  I  brushed  all  these  offers  to 
one  side,  and  reached  a  conclusion  to  spend 
my  money  as  best  suited  my  taste  and  in- 
clination. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  I  performed  one 
of  the  greatest  strokes  of  business  of  my 
career.  It  will  give  the  reader  of  these 
pages  an  idea  of  the  kind  of  a  Napoleon  of 
finance  I  was,  and  therefore  I  mention  it. 
Possibly  Jay  Gould  might  have  done  better 
in  his  palmy  days,  but  I  doubt  it.  The 
stroke  was  this :  I  gave  to  Slocum  a  power- 
of-attorney  so  comprehensive  and  generous, 
that  he  could  handle  all  my  money,  draw  up- 
on my  "bank"  account,  and  run  bills  in  my 
name.  I  will  do  him  credit  by  saying  that, 
to  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  he  never  failed 
to  carry  out  every  one  of  the  conditions  of 
that  power-of-attorney  to  the  fullest  extent. 
He  exhibited  the  most  untiring  industry  in 
that  direction,  and  I  could  have  given  him  a 
letter  of  recommendation  to  that  effect  at 
any  time.  He  always  spent  money  when  he 
had  it  to  spend,  or  when  he  did  not,  and  be- 

69 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

came  expert  in  disposing  of  promises  with 
great  facility. 

Slocum  had  an  idea  that  in  order  to  do 
things  right,  we  should  make  the  proper 
kind  of  a  start.  He  argued  that  to  see  a 
couple  of  young  millionaires  ^yalking 
around  in  ordinary  clothing  had  a  depress- 
ing effect  on  the  spectators,  and  that  we 
should  have  something  more  striking,  and 
that  better  befitted  our  station  in  life. 

Under  his  guidance  we  went  to  a  tailor 
shop.  We  looked  at  the  different  patterns 
and  grades  of  cloth  presented  for  our  in- 
spection, some  of  which  I  thought  pretty 
good,  and  I  saw  a  number  of  patterns  that 
would  have  suited  me.  But  Slocum  had  his 
ideas  up  that  day.  After  showing  almost 
everything  in  the  store,  the  tailor  finally 
came  to  a  piece  of  goods  of  a  style  that  I 
considered  would  have  looked  well  in  a 
horse  blanket  for  a  blind  horse.  I  thought, 
and  do  yet,  that  the  tailor  pulled  out  that 
piece  of  goods  by  mistake,  or  else  showed  it 
to  us  in  order  to  scare  us  out  of  the  store. 
Rut  the  pattern  caught  Socum's  eye,  and 
lie  gave  an  order  for  two  suits  to  be  made 
from  it,  one  for  him  and  one  for  myself,  to 
70 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

be  constructed  exactly  alike.  I  told  him 
that  if  we  went  out  with  a  pattern  like  that 
we  would  be  arrested  for  disturbing  the 
peace  of  the  city.  But  my  partner  was  in- 
sistent, and  the  goods  were  purchased. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  pleasant  after- 
noon when  we  sallied  forth  in  our  newly 
constructed  suits.  In  addition  we  sported 
"stove-pipe"  hats,  carried  gold-headed 
canes,  and  wore  diamond  pins  in  our  neck- 
ties. Surely  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  fixed  up  like  either  one  of  us.  As  we 
stepped  out  on  the  street  Slocum  was  smil- 
ing and  confident,  while  I  was  trembling 
and  afraid.  The  street  seemed  to  take  on  a 
new  appearance  when  we  struck  it,  as  peo- 
ple all  turned  and  looked  back,  or  followed 
us,  and  soon  most  all  the  traffic  was  going 
our  way.  On  the  corner  of  the  street,  a  block 
or  two  above  the  hotel,  a  policeman  was 
standing  or  was  doing  so  until  he  saw  us. 
Then  he  came  towards  us,  and  stopped  in 
front  of  us,  and  when  he  informed  us  that 
we  would  have  to  go  to  the  police  station 
with  him  I  was  temporarily  paralyzed.  As 
soon  as  I  could  regain  my  equilibrium  suf- 
ficiently to  talk,  my  first  words  were  to  Slo- 

71 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

cum,  and  I  reminded  bim  of  what  I  had 
said,  that  if  we  appeared  in  that  dog-gasted 
attire  some  dod-gasted  cop  would  run  us  in. 
Slocum  said  nothing,  but  all  the  way  to  the 
police  station  he  looked  as  crestfallen  as  a 
boy  who  has  been  discovered  in  the  act  of 
stealing  jam.  We  were  two  surprised  look- 
ing lambs  as  we  stood  facing  the  judge. 

"Where  did  you  get  these  fellows,  offi- 
cer?" inquired  that  personage. 

"Shure,  I  picked  'em  up  down  the  strata," 
replied  the  minion  of  the  law. 

"What's  the  charge?" 

"Bounty  jumpin',  jqt  Honor." 

"Did  anyone  tell  you  to  arrest  them?" 

"No,  sir;  I  arrested  them  on  their 
looks,  and  if  them  burruds  aint  bounty- 
jumpers  what  be  they?" 

We  assured  the  magistrate  that  we  were 
two  innocent  young  men  from  the  oil  re- 
gions, who  had  been  in  town  but  a  short 
time,  and  had  never  received  any  bounty  to 
jump;  that  while  we  did  not  exactly  know 
what  kind  of  a  bird  a  bounty-jumper  was, 
no  doubt  the  policeman  had  selected  us 
because  of  our  plumage;  and  if  we  could  be 

72 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

let  off  we  would  never  do  it  again,  whatever 
it  was  that  we  had  done. 

The  judge  took  in  the  humor  of  the  situa- 
tion and  discliarged  us.  I  "cussed''  Slocum 
all  the  way  to  his  room,  and  when  we  got 
tliere  made  him  change  his  ch)thes.  Then  we 
ordered  up  drinks,  celebrated  our  escape 
from  the  clutches  of  the  law,  and  closed  the 
wide  chasm  of  disagreement. 


73 


CHAPTER  VII. 

As  I  have  stated,  the  transaction  with 
Wickham  occurred  at  the  Girard  House, 
and  it  attracted  much  attention.  Rumor 
followed  rumor  as  to  the  amount  involved, 
and  it  soon  became  an  accepted  belief  that  I 
had  received  a  fortune  amounting  at  least 
to  a  million  of  dollars.  As  a  consequence, 
my  credit  became  unbounded,  as  did  the  no- 
toriety which  arose  out  of  the  affair.  I  be- 
came the  cynosure  of  a  thousand  curious 
eyes  as  the  formerly  poor  boy  who  had  sud- 
denly become  possessed  of  riches  which  a 
prince  might  envy;  and  I  started  on  a 
course  of  living  which  can  be  accurately  de- 
scribed as  "fast."  Many  foolish  things  were 
attributed  to  me,  of  course,  of  which  I  was 
never  guilty,  but  I  was  at  best  leading  a  life 
which  rendered  many  of  the  untrue  sur- 
mises justifiable.  Many  of  Slocum's  esca- 
pades were  charged  to  my  account,  but  we 
were  so  much  together  that  this  could  not 
be  considered  strange,  and  certainly  his 
foolish  actions  were  backed  up  by  my  money 

75 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

and  credit.  Therefore  I  cannot  wholly 
blame  those  faraway  critics  who,  through 
the  magnifying  of  rumors,  attributed  out- 
landish actions  to  me  as  a  spendthrift  "oil 
prince"  of  mushroom  growth.  The  flattery 
of  pretended  friends  and  the  misrepresenta- 
tions of  the  newspaper  press,  were  not  ob- 
jected to  by  me  so  strenuously  as  in  later 
years.  In  a  kind  of  a  way  I  enjoyed  the  "jol- 
lying" extended  to  me  even  by  those  who 
were  engaged  upon  a  "leg-pulling"  expedi- 
tion. In  the  dazzle  and  glitter  which  sur- 
rounded us  Slocum  fairly  swam,  and  acted 
like  a  man  who  had  been  accustomed  to 
such  things  all  his  life,  conducted  himself 
like  a  spoiled  and  pampered  son  of  riches, 
and  spent  my  money  as  freely  as  anyone 
could  have  spent  it.  The  finest  of  clothes 
adorned  our  persons,  diamond  pins  spark- 
led from  our  neckties,  diamond  rings  glit- 
tered on  our  fingers,  expensive  gold  chains 
encircled  our  necks  and  were  attached  to 
the  most  expensive  gold  watches.  Similar 
articles  were  bestowed  upon  our  friends. 
But  these  were  mostly  presented  by  Slocum, 
whose  generosity  was  not  even  bounded  by 
the  size  of  my  money  roll. 

76 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Other  misguided  beings  from  the  oil  re- 
gions of  Pennsylvania  were  scattered  about 
the  country  doing  foolish  things,  and  many 
of  their  performances  were  afterwards  cred- 
ited to  me.  But  as  I  had  played  the  fool  in 
so  many  directions,  it  was  not  strange  that 
this  was  so,  as  possibly  I  was  the  "king-bee" 
of  the  oil  region  spendthrifts.  I  was  not 
considered  an  "absorber"  of  wealth,  but  a 
"distributor,"  in  the  language  of  recent 
financial  arguments.  I  sized  up  pretty  well 
with  the  best,  but  have  never  been  guilty  of 
one-quarter  of  the  foolish  transactions  that 
have  been  charged  to  my  account;  in  fact, 
could  not  have  mixed  up  in  so  many  all  at 
once.  However,  as  it  was,  I  did  fairly  well. 
While  the  original  role  of  "Coal-Oil  John- 
ny" was  played  by  me,  to  have  acted  it  in  all 
the  comedies,  and  possibly  tragedies,  in 
which  that  was  the  star  part,  would  have  re- 
required  me  to  project  myself  into  a 
dozen  or  more  places  at  the  same 
time.  It  may  be  as  well  to  state  that 
at  this  writing  I  am  alive,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  I  have  been  killed  several 
times.  While  I  circulated  at  a  pretty  lively 
gait,  and  largely  in  my  own  particular  or- 

77 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

bit,  still  I  was  only  one.  My  nickname 
seemed  to  have  been  catching,  and  was  con- 
jured with  by  writers  whose  fanciful  imag- 
inations overbalanced  their  regard  for 
facts.  But  the  ball  was  set  rolling,  and  it 
gathered  all  kinds  of  "Coal-Oil  Johnny" 
moss. 

The  first  time  I  ever  heard  the  name  was 
one  day  in  Philadelphia,  and  it  was  applied 
to  me  by  a  dirty- faced  street  gamin,  who 
possibly  never  realized  for  how  much  he  has 
been  responsible.  Three  friends  and  myself 
were  being  driven  back  from  the  races  to 
our  hotel.  Not  having  had  a  drink  since  we 
left  the  track,  we  were  overtaken  by  a 
consuming  thirst,  and  were  urging  the 
driver  to  do  his  best  to  get  us  to  the  hotel  in 
order  to  save  our  lives.  The  rapid  beat  of 
the  hoofs  upon  the  pavement,  and  the  rattle 
of  the  carriage,  attracted  the  attention  of 
those  unfortunate  ones  who  were  compelled 
to  walk.  Seeing  our  carriage  filled  with 
four  sporty-looking  individuals,  wearing 
high  hats  and  diamond-bedecked  apparel,  it 
was  but  natural  that  someone's  curiosity 
should  be  aroused  to  the  extent  of  asking 
who  we  were.     Turning  a  corner  slowly,  1 

78 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK.^   (79) 

heard  someone  ask,  "Isn't  that  the  coal-oil 
crowd?"  and  an  insionificant  urcliin  piped 
up,  "Yep,  that's  Coal-Oil  Johnny  and  his 
gang."  The  other  occupants  of  our  carriage 
also  caught  the  remark.  It  seemed  to  please 
them,  for  they  adopted  it  there  and  then, 
and  fastened  the  term  upon  me  for  good.  In 
this  way  was  started  a  name  that  has  stuck 
to  me  closer  than  a  brother,  and  was  des- 
tined to  be  bandied  about  wherever  the  En- 
glish language  was  spoken. 

Outside  of  our  personal  appearance  on 
this  occasion  of  my  christening,  doubtless 
our  carriage  attracted  attention,  and  in 
planning  the  vehicle,  Slocum  and  I  deter- 
mined that  it  should.  In  the  first  place  we 
felt  the  great  need  of  a  carriage  of  some 
kind,  for,  on  many  accounts,  it  was  not  al- 
ways convenient  to  walk.  On  concluding  to 
have  one  of  our  own,  we  resolved  it  should 
possess  some  distinctive  feature  that  would 
mark  it  from  the  usual  run  of  stylish  turn- 
out, and  compel  people  to  recognize  it  at  a 
glance  as  our  own  particular  property. 

I  had  read  that  somewhere  it  was  the  cus- 
tom of  people  to  display  a  coat-of-arms  to 
mark  the  distinguishing  achievements  and 
occupations  of  their  family.     Therefore,  I 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

concluded  to  try  something  of  this  kind  my- 
self. My  idea  was  not  so  much  to  boast  of 
any  achievements  of  former  generations  as 
to  show  off  my  own  business  and  attain- 
ments. So  Slocum  and  I  put  our  heads  to- 
gether and  decided  the  best  thing  in  this 
line  to  be  done  was  to  have  painted  on  the 
doors  of  our  vehicle  the  picture  of  an  oil  der- 
rick, an  oil  tank,  and  a  flowing  well.  We 
found  a  painter  who  knew  how  to  mix  col- 
ors and  put  in  the  proper  amount  of  red. 
The  carriage  had  cost  me  sixteen  hundred 
dollars.  We  had  been  painting  everything 
else  red,  and  we  did  not  wish  to  take  any 
chances  with  sober  colors.  The  artist 
adorned  the  doors  to  our  liking.  When  we 
saw  the  result  of  his  work  we  could  hardly 
wait  for  the  paint  to  dry.  But  finally  when, 
with  our  new  team  of  horses,  we  were  at 
last  driven  forth,  with  instructions  given  to 
the  driver  to  "go  slow,"  the  sensation  creat- 
ed was  only  equalled  by  our  gratification 
that  we  had  made  the  hit  of  the  hour.  The 
only  experience  we  had  had  which  equalled 
it  was  when  we  appeared  in  those  flashy 
suits.  But  this  time  we  escaped  arrest. 
How  it  happened  we  never  knew.     In  our 

80 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

new  outfit  we  shone  for  all  there  was  in  it, 
and  we  did  not  care  who  knew  it,  as  we  were 
prouder  of  that  carriage  and  its  coat-of- 
arms  than  Barnum  ever  was  of  a  carload 
of  monkeys.  I  felt  better  than  any  old  king 
ever  did  in  his  chariot.  The  only  regret  Avas 
that  the  folks  up  home  could  not  see  me,  and 
I  wished  that  some  of  the  hoja  from  the  oil 
regions  could  come  down  so  that  I  could 
give  them  a  ride.  In  my  time  I  have  seen 
many  carriages,  but,  to  my  mind  they  were 
all  commonplace  in  comparison  with  the  one 
owned  by  me.  It  was  the  only  one  of  the 
kind,  when  the  coat-of-arms  was  included, 
in  the  Quaker  City  at  that  time.  It  has 
never  been  duplicated,  and  I  do  not  know 
how  it  could  be. 

We  hired  a  man  to  care  for  our  horses 
and  our  carriage  for  a  stated  amount,  I  for- 
get the  sum;  but  it  was  large  enough,  no 
doubt.  The  driver  was  a  willing  fellow,  at 
any  rate,  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  us 
and  our  interests;  and  we  often  felt  sore 
need  of  that  devotion.  His  working  hours 
were  irregular,  but  mainly  during  the  night 
and  'way  along  in  the  A.  M.s.  He  knew  how 
to  handle  men  as  well  as  horses,  for  he  was 

8i 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

often  compelled  to  handle  us,  and  his  re- 
sponsibility often  became  great  along  to- 
ward the  wee  small  hours.  Our  carriage 
was  a  familiar  sight  "down  the  line,"  and 
wherever  it  was,  it  was  a  safe  guess  that  we 
were  in  it,  or,  at  least,  not  far  away. 


82 


y^ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Given  an  inexperienced  young  fellow 
with  a  good-sized  bank  account,  a  willing 
and  earnest  desire  to  see  the  world,  and  in- 
clude in  this  combination  a  thirst  for 
liquor,  and  fasten  on  to  this  same  fellow 
companions  who  are  consumed  with  a  de- 
sire to  further  his  ambitions  along  the  lines 
indicated,  and  you  have  a  result  that  has 
thrown  many  an  older  head  than  I  had  at 
that  time  off  the  track.  So,  of  course,  I  did 
many  foolish  things,  some  of  which  I  look 
back  to  to-day  with  regret,  and  I  presume 
I  performed  many  outlandish  tricks  which 
I  do  not  now  remember,  because  of  their 
being  acted  at  times  when  John  Barleycorn 
held  me  in  an  "extra  loving  grip." 

I  do  recall  distinctly,  however,  that  one 
of  our  principal  amusements  was  theatre- 
going.  The  play-house  possessed  attrac- 
tions which  I  never  could  resist,  and  I  be- 
came very  familiar  with  life  therein.  It 
Avas  to  me  a  new  world,  and  naturally  pos- 
sessed attractions  for  one  who  never  until 

83 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

going  to  the  city  had  seen  anything  more 
pretentious  than  a  district  school  exhibi- 
tion or  a  "Punch  and  Judy"  show. 

I  was  to  be  found  many  nights  with  my 
friends  occupying  a  box  at  Fox's  Casino,  a 
famous  resort  of  its  kind,  conducted  on 
Bohemian  principles,  where  a  man  was  not 
obliged  to  crawl  over  a  crowd  to 
procure  liquid  refreshments,  and  where 
we  could  enjoy  our  fragrant  Havanas 
while  we  sat  and  watched  the  gyra- 
tions of  the  ballet  girls.  Of  course, 
such  a  resort  appealed  strongly  to  our  tem- 
peraments and  we  frequented  it  more  than 
any  of  the  others  then  to  be  found  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

Carncross  &  Dixie's  Minstrels  had  quite 
a  run  in  Philadelphia  at  this  time,  and  I  al- 
ways enjoyed  listening  to  the  comical  say- 
ings of  Dixie  and  Simmons,  spurred  on  by 
Carncross,  one  of  the  finest  of  interlocutors. 
I  became  well  acquainted  with  Dixie,  who 
associated  somewhat  with  our  crowd,  and  I 
recall  him  as  a  jolly,  good-natured,  little  fel- 
low, and  a  great  favorite  with  everyone. 
But  of  this  aggregation  I  came  to  know  Lew 
Simmons  best  of  all,  and  liked  him  for  his 

84 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

iinceasiug  jollity,  exhibited  in  private  as 
well  as  in  public.  The  memory  of  my  friend- 
ship with  him  is  more  closely  treasured  by 
me  than  any  which  I  formed  during  this 
giddy  and  delirious  period. 

One  of  our  favorite  means  of  recreation 
during  the  daytime  was  a  drive  in  our  fa- 
mous carriage  through  Fairmount  Park, 
where  we  vied  in  conspicuousness  with  the 
elite  of  the  cit}^;  in  fact,  attracted  more  at- 
tention than  the  most  of  them.  Our  faces 
were  familiar  at  many  of  the  I'oad-houses  sur- 
rounding Philadelphia  at  that  time,  where 
we  distributed  liberal  patronage.  Gener- 
ally after  these  drives  we  would  wind  up  at 
the  Girard  House  in  the  evening  in  a  "high- 
ly-seasoned" condition.  Naturally,  at  this 
time  memory  of  places  and  dates  is  some- 
what dimmed,  and  would  be,  even  if  I  had  at 
that  time  kept  my  vision  entirely  clear,  but 
as  it  was  considerably  blurred  by  alcoholic 
methods,  it  is  not  surprising  that  I  do  not 
retain  anything  more  than  a  faint  recollec- 
tion, extending  in  many  instances  not  be- 
yond the  fact  that  I  recall  that  Philadelphia 
was  on  the  map,  and  I  was  mixed  up  in  it 
somewhere. 

85 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  have  often  regretted  that  I  did  not  keep 
a  record  of  places,  occurrences,  and  dates, 
but  the  thought  never  entered  my  mind  that 
I  was  making  any  Idnd  of  history,  and,  any- 
way, I  was  too  busy  to  attend  to  it.  Never 
did  I  for  a  moment  realize  that  I  was 
achieving  a  notoriety  that  some  day  would 
be  widespread,  and  that  my  name  would  be 
one  to  be  conjured  with  by  special  writers 
and  paragraphers  for  a  generation.  But 
one  of  my  chief  regrets  at  overlooking  the 
importance  of  such  a  record  is  that  I  have 
forgotten  the  name  of  the  house  and  its  pro- 
prietor where  the  specialty  on  the  bill  of 
fare  was  the  prosaic-sounding  dish  of  "cat- 
fish and  waffles."  I  recall  that  it  was  a 
road-house  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of 
Philadelphia,  and  on  an  average  of  once  a 
week  we  Vvould  visit  it  and  regale  our  appe- 
tites with  these  delectable  viands.  It  is 
providential  that  time  dims  the  vision  to 
many  things  of  the  past,  but  to-day  I  would 
thank  my  stars  if  I  could  publicly  pay  trib- 
ute to  the  name  of  the  man  who  served  cat- 
fish and  waffles  as  the  leading  feature  of  his 
bill  of  fare.  I  ate  of  them  until  I  broke  out 
with  a  rash,  gorged  myself  near  to  bursting, 

86 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

and  never  grew  tired  of  the  diet.  Syrup  I 
had  long  ago  given  the  "go-by"  and  I  did  not 
regain  my  youthful  lilving  for  it,  but  I 
never  grew  weary  of  tlie  fish  and  wafile  mix- 
ture. These  feasts  stand  out  in  glaring 
spots  on  the  memory  of  that  hazy  and  delir- 
ious period.  The  catfish  is  the  most  delic- 
ious morsel  that  swims  our  waters,  not  much 
to  look  at,  perhaps,  but  in  the  hands  of  the 
caterer  he  becomes  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a 
joy  forever. 

A  Philadelphian  who  attached  himself  to 
our  crowd  at  this  time,  through  an  acquaint- 
anceship he  had  formed  with  Slocum,  was 
George  Brotherton,  who  besides  being  one  of 
the  handsomest  and  most  stylishly  dressed 
men  I  had  ever  known,  was  an  expert  and 
nervy  wooer  of  fortune  with  cards.  In  fact, 
he  was  an  adept  at  every  game  of  chance 
played  in  America  at  that  day.  Possessing 
a  pleasing  manner  and  the  bearing  of  a  gen- 
tleman, I  became  attracted  to  him  and  liked 
him  first  rate.  In  every  sense  of  the  word 
he  was  a  better  fellow  than  Slocum  and  filled 
with  more  manly  instincts,  in  spite  of  the 
calling  to  which  he  claimed  allegiance.  It 
takes  a  bright  man  to  become  even  a  fairly 

87 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

successful  gambler,  and  Brotherton  Lad  a 
knowledge  of  men  and  the  ways  of  the  world 
which  would  have  brought  him  success  in 
life  had  he  chosen  a  legitimate  occupation. 
He  was  a  partner,  although  largely  a  silent 
one,  in  an  all-night  saloon  in  Philadelphia 
which  drove  a  thriving  trade  in  wet  goods, 
and  to  which  place  we  often  resorted  to 
slake  our  ever-recurring  thirst,  especially 
when  our  finances  became  temporarily  de- 
pressed, for  there  our  names  would  accom- 
modatingly be  written  down  ''upon  the 
slate."  Brotherton  made  a  great  deal  of 
money  by  gambling,  but  spent  it  just  as 
freely,  and  as  a  result  of  such  a  condition 
was  often  in  a  state  of  financial  collapse. 
Consequently  he  knew  how  to  sympathize 
with  others  who  would  occasionally  "go 
broke"  and  come  to  their  assistance  when  in 
his  power  so  to  do. 

I  recall  that  at  one  time  as  I  was  walk- 
ing with  him  along  the  street,  he  mentioned 
the  fact  that  there  was  a  first-rate  faro  game 
being  dealt  in  rooms  near  by,  and  he  con- 
fided to  me  that  he  felt  an  inward  "hunch" 
that  he  could  play  to  win,  but  that,  unfor- 
tunately, he  was  temporarily  out  of  funds. 

88 


COAL   OIL  JO  I  L\' NY— HIS  BOOK. 

At  that  particular  moment  I  was  in  straits 
for  the  long  green  nn'self,  but  glanc- 
ing across  the  street  and  seeing  a 
pawn  shop,  I  went  over  and  put  up 
my  gold  watch  for  twenty  dollars,  the 
amount  Brotliorton  said  he  needed. 
I  handed  the  money  to  him,  and  together  we 
went  to  the  rooms,  he  to  play  and  I  to  watch 
the  game.  Fortune  did  not  smile  upon  the 
player  until  he  was  reduced  to  the  last  dol- 
lar of  the  twenty;  but  with  that  dollar  the 
"hunch"  seemed  to  get  in  its  work,  for 
Brotherton  called  the  last  turn  on  the  deal, 
and  received  four  for  one.  He  then  began 
to  win  steadily,  more  rapidly  than  he  had 
lost,  and  in  half  an  hour  from  the  turning 
point  he  quit  the  game  a  thousand  dollars  to 
the  good.  The  watch  was  relieved  from  its 
imprisonment,  restored  to  my  pocket,  and 
we  went  out  to  spend  the  winnings,  which 
we  succeeded  in  doing  in  the  most  approved 
style. 

The  loud,  rowdy,  and  spendthrift  ways  of 
my  erstwhile  self-appointed  guardian  and 
authorized  agent  were  well  known,  and, 
coupled  with  outlandish  reports  of  great 
wealth  which  had  come  to  me,  jewelers,  tail- 

89 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ors,  and  other  dealers,  were  led  to  send  in 
bills  many  times  larger  than  they  actually 
should  have  been,  and  once  seeing  them  paid 
without  protest  the  next  time  would  add  a 
little  more  commission.  In  this  manner 
much  money  Avas  foolishly  paid  out,  which, 
had  I  used  ordinary  business  caution,  and 
placed  less  faith  in  Slocum,  would  have  been 
saved. 

Ours  was  a  riotous,  feverish  life,  with 
scarcely  a  sober  moment,  and  to  a  large  ex- 
tent we  knew  not  what  we  did,  nor  did  we 
seem  to  care.  The  fool-killer  favored  us  by 
remaining  religiously  away  at  this  particu- 
lar period,  and  diamonds  bedecked  the  per- 
sons of  those  who  would  not  have  been  so 
favored  had  we  not  been  allowed  to  live. 

Xo  one  was  allowed  by  Slocum  to  ap- 
proach me  whom  he  thought  could  possibly 
render  such  advice  as  would  imperil  the 
good  time  he  was  having  at  my  expense.  No 
one  borrowed  money  from  me  at  this  time 
unless  it  happened  to  be  a  friend  of  his ;  and 
the  crowd  which  surrounded  me  consisted 
largely  of  actors,  men  about  town,  so-called, 
gamblers,  and  3'oung  fellows  whose  only  oc- 
cupation seemed  to  be  to  spend  the  money 

90 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

left  them  by  some  saving  and  economical 
ancestor.  There  were  also  adventurers 
hanging-  around,  who  looked  upon  me  at  all 
times  as  a  lamb  well  worth  shearing.  Every- 
one who  stopped  at  the  Girard  House  tried 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  me,  and,  it  sometimes 
seemed,  a  slice  of  my  roll,  and  I  was  pointed 
out  to  the  curious  as  the  "oil  prince"  who 
was  creating  the  sensation  of  the  hour  in  his 
own  peculiar  way.  At  first  I  shrank  from 
this  curiosity  but  afterwards  got  so  I  did  not 
care,  and  with  a  cigar  in  mj  mouth,  with 
diamonds  si^arkling  on  my  shirt  front  and 
on  my  fingers,  I  would  march  up  and  down 
the  corridors,  the  cynosure  of  admiring 
glances.  The  "help"  of  the  hotel  would  jump 
at  my  word,  for  I  was  always  lavish  with  my 
tips  for  the  most  trivial  service.  Therefore, 
by  outward  appearance,  at  least,  I  fully  jus- 
tified many  of  the  inferences  drawn  of  me  at 
that  time.  Never  had  I  known  before  what 
it  was  to  be  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  flat- 
terers and  I  was  not  sufiicieutly  acute  to  de- 
tect the  reason  or  to  pick  out  the  syco- 
phants. Consequently  I  was  placed  upon  a 
pedestal  and  worvshipped  for  "what  there 
was   in   it,"   and   in   return   for    flattering 

91 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

praises  spent  my  money  freely  upon  my  ad- 
mirers. 

As  I  have  stated,  I  drank  a  great  deal. 
Whiskey  more  strongly  appealed  to  my  ap- 
petite than  any  other  liquor,  and  finding 
this  appetite  harder  to  appease  as  time  went 
on,  I  contributed  largely  towards  the  reve- 
nues of  the  government.  Money  went  freely 
through  my  hands,  still  more  freely  through 
Slocum's  and,  in  that  brief  six  months  of  de- 
lirium in  Philadelphia  and  other  cities,  I 
lived  longer  than  in  all  the  balance  of  my 
time  on  earth. 

Occasionally  some  old  friend  from  the  oil 
country  would  visit  me,  when  I  would  con- 
sider it  my  boundeu  duty  to  extend  to  him 
the  kind  of  hospitality  for  which  I  was  be- 
coming celebrated.  What  such  a  one  told 
when  he  got  home  I  do  not  know,  but  if  he 
told  the  truth,  tales  Avere  related  at  oil  coun- 
try firesides  such  as  were  never  listened  to 
before. 


92 


CHAPTER  IX. 

What  is  the  gait  of  Philadelphia  to-day 
among  the  class  of  people  with  whom  we  as- 
sociated I  do  not  know,  but  at  that  time  they 
stayed  out  later  at  night  and  traveled  swift- 
er than  the  (Quakers,  and  their  manners  were 
such  as  would  have  black-balled  them  for 
admission  into  the  Society  of  Friends.  The 
city,  as  were  many  other  cities  at  that  time, 
was  filled  with  strangers  owing  to  the  great 
war  then  being  waged.  Palaces  of  sin  were 
in  full  blast  and  in  many  quarters  the  clink- 
ing of  glasses,  the  maudlin  songs,  the  shrieks 
of  siren  and  masculine  laughter  could  be 
heard  throughout  the  night. 

Gambling  resorts  were  numerous,  where 
unwary  lambs  were  parted  from  their  fleece; 
but  I  did  not  part  with  mine  by  this  method. 
Certain  Avriters  have  stated  that  I  lost 
thousands  of  dollars  by  the  turn  of  a  card, 
while  the  truth  is  I  never  played  for  money 
in  my  life.  However,  my  chances  for  doing 
so  were  unlimited;  I  consorted  with  gamb- 
lers to  some  extent,  and  frequented  gamb- 

93 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ling  rooms;  but  while  urgent  invitations 
were  extended  to  me  to  woo  fickle  fortune  in 
this  manner,  I  refused  to  do  so,  arguing  that 
I  preferred  to  spend  my  money  in  a  way 
which  would  be  more  productive  of  enjoy- 
ment to  a  man  of  my  tastes.  I  have  often 
regretted  that  ni}^  refusal  did  not  extend  to 
other  invitations  the  acceptance  of  which 
proved  detrimental  and  contributed  to  my 
final  undoing. 

At  one  time  I  went  into  the  Continental 
Hotel  in  Philadelphia  and  asked  a  question 
of  the  clerk,  to  which  he  returned  an  uncivil 
answer.  This  displeased  me,  and  I  filed  a 
protest  with  the  proprietor,  who  did  not  give 
me  the  satisfaction  I  sought.  Being  some- 
what nettled  thereat,  I  ventured  the  opinion 

that  "he  did  not  know  a  d d  thing  about 

running  a  hotel."  He  replied  that  possibly 
I  knew  more  than  he  did  about  it  and  that 
I  could  offer  him  suggestions  that  would  re- 
lieve his  guests  from  the  results  of  his  mis- 
management. I  told  him  I  thought  I  could, 
and  this  encouraged  me  to  further  ask  how 
much  he  would  charge  me  to  take  the  "old 
ranch"  off  his  hands  for  a  day  and  run  it  as 
it  should  be  run.    Evidently  thinking  I  was 

94 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

throwing  out  a  large-sized  bluff,  he  replied, 
''Two  thousand  dollars."  Ileaching  into  my 
pocket  I  pulled  out  my  roll,  counted  out  the 
amount,  and  threw  it  down  on  the  desk,  and 
told  him  to  consider  the  old  ^'shebang"  as 
mine  until  noon  of  the  next  day.  He  wanted 
to  back  out  but  I  protested,  and  he  finally 
withdrew  and  left  the  field  to  me.  My  first 
move  was  to  discharge  the  offensive  clerk, 
and  I  put  into  his  place  one  of  my  friends. 
I  placed  others  over  various  departments, 
and  issued  a  general  order  to  the  effect  that 
everything  should  be  run  wide  open  for 
twenty-four  hours;  that  every  delicacy  the 
market  afforded  should  be  placed  upon  the 
table,  regardless  of  expense,  and  my  direc- 
tions were  explicit  that  champagne,  or  what- 
ever else  the  bar  afforded,  should  be  fur- 
nished free  to  the  guests  who  dined  with 
us.  Every  other  hotel  in  Philadelphia  was 
thrown  into  a  condition  of  temporary  de- 
pression, which  would  have  meant  suspen- 
sion had  my  plan  continued  indefinitely.  I 
rewarded  each  of  the  servants  with  twenty- 
five  dollars,  in  advance,  and  asked  for  their 
hearty  co-operation  and  it  was  heartily 
given.    My  friends,  their  friends,  and  all  of 

95 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

our  friends'  friends  pressed  in  upon  me,  and 
as  landlord  I  welcomed  them  with  all  the 
cordiality  and  dignity  I  could  muster.  The 
women  of  the  "tenderloin,"  hearing  that  1 
was  running  the  hotel,  crowded  in,  and  soon 
the  building  was  resounding  to  shouts  of 
revelry.  The  Brussels  carpets  were  soaked 
with  champagne,  long  and  gaudy  stockings 
adorned  the  chandeliers,  while  their  owners 
danced  on  the  marble-topped  tables  of  the 
parlors  surrounded  by  a  drunken  mob,  or 
sat  on  the  window  sills  and  shrieked  to  the 
people  who  thronged  the  streets  below. 
Guests  who  were  drunken  beyond  the 
realms  of  consciousness  were  strewn  about 
the  floors,  their  features  looking  extremely 
grewsome  in  the  light  of  the  chandeliers. 
The  devil  ran  riot  throughout  that  palace  of 
sin,  and  orgies  were  enacted  which  ap- 
proached those  of  Belshazzar's  feast.  It  was 
a  grand,  whirling,  awful  time;  too  wicked 
to  be  believed. 

And  yet  there  were  thousands  of  people 
who  believed  it,  although  it  never  happened. 
I  have  tried  to  condense  all  that  has  been 
said  by  various  writers  who  have  attributed 
this  occurrence  to  me.    I  give  it  as  a  sort  of 

96 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

tribute  to  the  great  American  imagination, 
and  as  showing  to  what  extent  some  people 
will  go  when  wielding  an  unbridled  pen. 
Some  day  I  want  to  erect  a  monument  to  the 
man  who  concocted  that  story.  If  I  catch 
him  alive,  he  will  need  something  to  mark 
his  resting  place. 

Of  course  there  was  never  such  an  occur- 
rence. I  never  bought  a  hotel  for  a  day, 
minute  or  second.  I  never  stayed  in  the 
Continental  Hotel  but  one  night,  and  no 
such  scene  ever  occurred  in  Philadelphia 
during  my  sojourn  there.  However,  it  might 
be  stated  that  I  spent  enough  money  at  the 
Girard  House,  or  was  charged  with  having 
spent  enough,  to  have  purchased  a  control- 
ling interest  in  a  first-class  hotel.  When 
leaving  there  the  proprietor  presented  me 
with  a  bill  for  myself  and  Slocum,  of 
110,000.  Considering  the  fact  that  I  paid 
him  large  amounts  at  various  times,  I  nat- 
urally wondered  how  it  could  be  so  large. 
Yet,  assuming  it  to  be  correct,  I  figured  that 
our  bill  at  this  one  house  alone  for  the  six 
months  in  Philadelphia  exceeded  |25,000. 
This  speaks  louder  of  our  career  in  the 
Quaker  City  than  anything  else  I  can  men- 
tion. (^) 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

The  only  "time"  I  ever  had  at  the  Conti- 
uental  was  in  that  part  reserved  for  the  dis- 
pensing of  liquid  refreshments.  As  has  been 
noticed  by  everyone,  intoxication  develops 
strange  characteristics  in  individuals.  A 
surly  man  will  be  changed  into  the  most 
genial  soul  in  the  world,  while  a  man  who  in 
sober  life  is  the  incarnation  of  geniality  wull 
be  converted  into  the  most  offensive  bellig- 
erant,  and  want  to  fight  everybody  he  meets. 
Some,  with  no  music  in  their  souls,  will 
break  out  in  song  and  the  clumsiest  will  in- 
sist on  tripping  the  "light  fantastic  toe." 
When  I  reached  a  certain  stage,  my  nature 
took  on  the  hat-smashing  laania,  and  I  tried 
or  wanted  to  smash  every  high  hat  that  came 
to  my  notice.  One  night  I  was  with  a  party 
of  friends  in  the  Continental  bar.  It  hap- 
pened that  we  all  wore  high  hats,  and  it  also 
happened  that,  while  we  were  drinking  and 
swearing  eternal  fealty,  my  mania  asserted 
itself.  Seizing  a  cane,  I  rapped  the  hat  of 
the  felloAv  next  to  me  down  over  his  eyes. 
This  seemed  so  funny  that  I  jammed  the  hat 
of  another  fellow  so  hard  that  it  completely 
covered  his  face,  and  he  was  pulled  out  with 
considerable  trouble.    By  this  time  all  of  the 

98 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

crowd  entered  into  the  spirit  of  tlie  thing. 
One  of  them  struck  at  my  hat,  and,  thinking 
to  fool  him,  I  removed  it  just  in  time  to 
catch  his  cane  on  mj  head  in  the  most  em- 
phatic manner.  For  some  reason  or  other 
the  crowd  seemed  to  think  the  joke  was  on 
me.  When  we  had  finished  we  possessed  a 
collection  of  the  most  dilapidated-looking 
"dicers"  ever  seen,  and  resembled  a  group 
of  shabby  genteel  wrecks.  But  we  stayed 
in  the  bar  until  it  was  reported  dry.  The 
next  day  I  purchased  a  new  $8.C0  hat  for 
each  one  of  the  crowd.  The  foregoing  esca- 
pade, of  course,  attracted  attention  and  pos- 
sibly from  it  originated  tlie  Ananias  story 
of  the  purchase  of  the  hotel.  I  only  pur- 
chased the  liquor.  It  reminds  me  of  the 
little  line  reading 

"Tall  aches  from  little  toe-corns  grow." 


99 


CHAPTER  X. 

So  many  demands  were  made  upon  me  for 
loans  of  money  from  all  sections  of  the  coun- 
try, both  personally  and  by  mail,  that  I  soon 
became  hardened  to  them,  and  refused  all 
applicants  point  blank,  except  in  the  case  of 
a  few  personal  friends  who  sought  tempor- 
ary loans.  To  the  latter  I  always  responded 
favorably  when  I  could,  but  in  many  in- 
stances found  my  confidence  misplaced.  To 
have  responded  to  all  my  mail  would  have 
required  a  large  force  of  clerks.  When  any- 
one came  in  person  for  a  loan  I  listened  to 
their  tale  of  woe,  and  acted  according  to  the 
best  judgment  I  happened  to  have  with  me 
at  the  time. 

Among  those  who  came  to  me  with 
schemes  which  afforded  me  an  opportunity 
to  invest  my  money  were  Low  Gaylord  and 
M.  T.  Skiff  (the  boys  called  him  "Empty" 
Skiff),  minstrel  men,  who  had  been  con- 
ducting an  organization  under  the  title  of 
Skiff  and  Gaylord's  Minstrels,  and  which, 
after  running  through  a  season  of  hard  luck, 

lOI 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

had  become  stranded.  They  were  filled  with 
a  desire  to  get  once  again  upon  their  feet, 
and  therefore  the  appeal  to  me  for  financial 
assistance. 

To  one  who  viewed  the  stage  w^ith  the  lik- 
ing I  did,  the  proposition  made  by  them 
proved  attractive  and  appealed  to  me  strong- 
ly. Consequently  Slocum  and  I  agreed  to 
take  a  half  interest,  but  as  the  former  had 
no  money  which  was  not  mine,  half  of  the 
show  really  belonged  to  me.  Skiff  and  Gay- 
lord  owned  the  costumes  and  much  other 
material  that  goes  with  a  burnt-cork  aggre- 
gation, but  money  was  required  to  re-or- 
ganize and  rehearse  a  company,  and  to  put 
out  new  advertising.  With  the  money  I 
furnished  wood  cuts  were  purchased  and 
bills  printed  which  set  forth  in  glaring  let- 
ters and  in  flattering  terms  the  merits  of  the 
show.  One  of  the  large  posters  had  a  pic- 
ture of  Slocum  and  myself  in  the  upper  left 
and  right  hand  corners,  respectively,  while 
in  the  lower  corners  appeared  the  pictures 
of  Skiff  and  Gaylord. 

The  company  was  soon  organized,  placed 
in  rehearsal,  the  advance  agent  started  out 
upon  the  road,  and  the  show  moved  up  into 

I02 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

New  Jersey  to  win  sliekles  and  gather  up  a 
bunch  of  fame. 

It  was  a  good  show,  as  many  who  saw  it 
at  the  time  will  testify.  Skiff  was  interlo- 
cutor, while  Gaylord  plajed  the  bones  and 
Hughey  Doughert}^  the  tambo.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  I  do  not  recall  the  names  of  all  the 
performers  who,  including  the  band,  num- 
bered about  twenty  people,  but  among  the 
crowd  were  Delehanty  and  Ward,  a  fine 
double  clog  team,  and  Joe  Maires,  the  best 
female  impersonator  I  ever  saw.  The  leader 
of  the  band  was  a  little  Dutchman  by  the 
name  of  Buckholz,  who  was  certainly  an 
artist.  But  the  great  fun  maker  of  the  ag- 
gregation was  Dougherty,  who  in  his  time 
Las  made  thousands  of  people  laugh  at  his 
original  and  irresistible  humor.  At  this 
time  he  was  a  young  man,  just  rising  in  his 
calling.  He  took  to  the  business  like  a  duck 
to  water;  and  his  constant  comicalities  off 
the  stage  were  as  amusing  as  those  he 
sprung  behind  the  footlights.  His  fun  was 
of  that  spontaneous  kind  which  made  him 
appear  to  do  and  say  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time,  and  he  was  very  apt  at  hitting 
off   popular   fads   and   follies  as   they   ap- 

103 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

peared.  He  was  a  good  dancer,  and  one 
night,  feeling  in  a  particular  happy  condi- 
tion, he  danced  for  thirty-five  minutes,  until 
he  was  dripping  with  perspiration  and  the 
orchestra  had  become  exhausted.  Whenever 
the  musicians  would  show  any  inclination 
to  stop,  he  would  spur  them  on.  The  audi- 
ence became  uproarious  and  urged  the  con- 
testants to  further  efforts.  Another  of 
Dougherty's  acts  Avas  a  stump  speech,  the 
delivery  of  which  always  convulsed  the 
hearers.  He  appeared  dressed  in  the  bur- 
lesque style  of  an  old  fashioned  colored 
preacher,  wearing  a  high  hat  of  ancient 
mintage,  a  long  coat,  and  carrying  a  large 
umbrella.  Each  night  the  speech  would  be 
varied  to  suit  local  conditions  or  national 
happenings  and  was  as  much  enjoyed  by  his 
colleagues  as  by  the  audience.  Walking  up 
to  the  table  in  the  centre  of  the  stage,  he 
would  place  his  hat  upon  it,  and  as  he  pro- 
ceeded with  his  remarks  he  would  gradually 
work  himself  up  to  a  feigned  state  of  in- 
tense earnestness  and  excitement.  Then  he 
would  raise  his  umbrella  ostensibly  to  bring 
it  down  upon  the  table  to  emphasize  his  re- 
marks,   and    miss    the    table,    which    mis- 

104 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

calculation  would  appear  to  throw  him 
off  his  balance,  aud  compel  him  to 
turn  a  complete  somersault  in  order 
to  regain  his  equilibrium.  Excusing  himself 
to  the  audience  for  this  undignified  action, 
he  would  proceed  with  his  remarks, 
slowly  at  first,  and  then  gradually  work 
himself  up  to  another  pitch  of  excitement, 
when  he  would  bring  his  umbrella  down 
upon  his  hat  with  a  violence  sufficient  to 
smash  it  flat.  Picking  it  up  he  would  look 
at  the  wreck  so  ludicrously  that  his  audi- 
ence would  shriek  with  laughter;  and,  al- 
though I  saw  him  do  this  many  times,  it  al- 
ways drew  a  smile  from  me.  Dougherty  cer- 
tainly was  one  of  the  smartest  men  in  the 
business,  and  when  I  saw  him  last  he  was 
still  maintaining  his  reputation  for  jollity, 
although  then  an  old  man. 

Slocum  and  I  did  not  appear  in  the  per- 
formance, but  confined  our  duties  to  the 
taking  and  selling  of  tickets,  aud  marching 
with  our  partners  at  the  head  of  the  daily 
parade.  As  I  marched  to  the  stirring  notes 
of  the  band,  dressed  in  the  regulation  high 
hat,  long  coat,  and  carrying  a  cane,  while 
diamonds  sparkled  upon   my   necktie  and 

105 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

upon  mj  fingers,  for  the  time  being  I  was 
oblivious  of  everything  else,  and  secretly 
thought  I  was  one  of  the  great  moguls  of  the 
earth,  whom  ordinary  mortals  would  be 
more  than  pleased  to  fall  down  and  worship. 

The  aggregation  started  from  the  Quaker 
City  in  good  style  and  spirits,  and  played  up 
through  New  Jersey  to  good  houses.  Slo- 
cum  and  I  stayed  with  them  for  a  week, 
showed  them  a  good  time  whenever  oppor- 
tunity presented,  and  opportunities  were 
plentiful.  It  was  a  howling,  whirling  week. 
Our  ordinary  expenses  were  paid  out  of  the 
funds  which  came  from  the  treasury,  and 
this  was  the  only  financial  benefit  we  ever 
received  from  the  venture.  The  extraordin- 
ary expenses,  a  much  larger  sum,  I  paid  my- 
self, and  thought  all  the  while  I  was  having 
a  jolly  good  time.  However,  we  did  not 
drink  champagne,  some  accounts  to  the  con- 
trary, notwithstanding.  I  began  my  "spirit- 
ual" education  on  whiskey,  and  when  one 
becomes  thoroughly  addicted  to  that  habit, 
every  other  drink  seems  mild  and  tame  in 
comparison. 

So  while  the  merry  minstrel  men  went 
their  happy  way,  my  partner  and  myself  be- 

io6 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

sought  once  more  the  quiet  precincts  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  haunts  which  had 
known  us  so  long,  for  better  and  for  worse, 
did  business  with  us  again.  ^A^e  took  up  the 
old  ways  without  the  slightest  hesitation, 
picked  up  where  we  had  left  off,  and  con- 
tinued the  little  act  of  our  own  entitled,  "A 
fool  and  his  money  are  soon  parted,"  in 
which  we  played  star  parts  to  large  crowds. 
We  charged  no  admission,  and  generally 
paid  the  crowd  for  coming  to  see  us.  In  fact, 
we  ran  a  regular  gift  show,  and  it  was  a  con- 
tinuous performance. 

I  give  the  following  from  "Sketches  in 
Crude  Oil,"  an  entertaining  book  on  the  Oil 
regions  written  by  John  J.  McLaurin,  in 
which  he  quotes  an  interview  given  by  one 
John  W.  Ga3'lord  concerning  me,  and  which 
is  a  fair  sample  of  some  of  the  reports  put  in 
circulation  about  my  doings : 

"The  future  candidate  for  minstrel  gags 
and  newspaper  space  was  hauling  oil  when 
a  neighbor  ran  to  tell  him  of  Mrs.  McClin- 
tock's  death.  He  hastened  home.  A  search 
of  the  premises  disclosed  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  the  old  lady  had  hoarded.  Wm. 
Blackstone,  appointed  his  guardian,  restrict- 
107 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ed  the  minor  to  a  reasonable  allowance. 
The  young  man's  conduct  was  irreproach- 
able until  he  attained  his  majority.  His  in- 
come was  enormous.  Mr.  Blackstone  paid 
him  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  a 
lump,  and  he  resolved  to  'see  some  of  the 
world.'  He  saw  it,  not  through  smoked 
glass  either.  His  escapades  supplied  no  end 
of  material  for  gossip.  Many  tales  concern- 
ing him  were  exaggerated  and  many  were 
pure  inventions.  Demure,  slow-going  Phila- 
delphia he  colored  a  flaming  vermilion.  He 
gave  away  carriages  after  a  single  drive, 
kept  open  house  in  a  big  hotel  and  squan- 
dered thousands  of  dollars  a  day.  Seth  Slo- 
cum  was  'showing  him  the  sights'  and  he 
fell  an  easy  victim  to  blacklegs  and  swind- 
lers. He  ordered  champagne  by  the  dozen 
baskets  and  treated  theatrical  companies  to 
the  costliest  wine  suppers.  Gay  ballet  girls 
at  Fox's  old  play-house  told  spicy  stories  of 
these  midnight  frolics.  To  a  negro  comed- 
ian, who  sang  a  song  that  pleased  him,  he 
handed  a  thousand  dollar  pin.  He  would 
walk  the  streets  with  bank  bills  stuck  in  the 
button-holes  of  his  coat  for  Young  America 
to  grab.  He  courted  club  men  and  spent 
1 08 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

cash  like  the  Count  of  Monte  Cristo.  John 
Morrissey  sat  a  night  with  him  at  cards  in 
his  Saratoga  gambling  house,  cleaning  him 
out  of  many  thousands.  Leeches  bled  him 
and  sharpers  fleeced  him  unmercifully.  He 
was  a  spendthrift,  but  he  didn't  light  cigars 
with  hundred  dollar  bills,  buy  a  Philadel- 
phia hotel  to  give  a  chum  or  destroy  money 
'for  fun.'  Usually  somebody  benefited  by 
his  extravagances. 

"Occasionally  his  prodigality  assumed  a 
sensible  phase.  Twenty-eight  hundred  dol- 
lars, one  day's  receipts  from  his  wells  and 
royalty,  went  toward  the  erection  of  the  sol- 
diers' monument — a  magnificent  shaft  of 
white  marble — in  the  Franklin  park.  Ex- 
cept Dan  Rice's  five  thousand  dollar  memor- 
ial at  Girard,  Erie  county,  this  Avas  the  first 
monument  in  the  Union  to  the  fallen  heroes 
of  the  civil  war.  Ten,  twenty  or  fifty  dollars 
frequently  gladdened  the  poor  who  asked 
for  relief.  He  lavished  fine  clothes  and  dia- 
monds on  a  minstrel  troupe,  touring  the 
country  and  entertaining  crowds  in  the  oil 
regions.  John  W.  Gaylord,  a  famous  artist 
in  burnt  cork  and  member  of  the  troupe,  has 
furnished  these  details: 

109 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

"  ^Yes,  "Coal-Oil  Johnny"  was  my  partic- 
ular friend  in  bis  palmiest  days.  I  was  his 
room-mate  when  he  cut  the  shines  that  cele- 
brated him  as  the  most  eccentric  millionaire 
on  earth.  I  was  with  the  Skiff  and  Gaylord 
minstrels.  Johnny  saw  us  perform  in  Phila- 
delphia, got  stuck  on  the  business  and 
bought  one-third  interest  in  the  show.  His 
first  move  Avas  to  get  five  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  woodcuts  at  his  own  expense.  They 
were  all  the  way  from  a  one-sheet  to  a  twen- 
ty-four-sheet in  size  and  the  largest  amount 
any  concern  had  ever  owned.  The  cartoon, 
which  attracted  so  much  attention,  of  "Bring 
That  Skiff  Over  Here,"  was  in  the  lot.  We 
went  on  the  road,  did  a  monstrous  business 
everywhere,  turned  people  away  and  were 
prosperous. 

"  ^Reaching  Utica,  N.  Y.,  Johnnie  treated 
to  a  supper  for  the  company,  which  cost  one 
thousand  dollars.  He  then  conceived  the 
idea  of  traveling  by  his  own  train  and  pur- 
chased an  engine,  a  sleeper  and  a  baggage- 
ear.  Dates  for  two  weeks  were  cancelled 
and  we  went  junketing,  Johnnie  footing  the 
bills.  At  Erie  we  had  a  five  hundred  dollar 
supper;  and  so  it  went.     It  was  here  that 

no 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY-HIS  BOOK. 

Johnnie  bought  his  first  hack.  After  a  short 
ride  he  presented  it  to  the  driver.  Our  dates 
being  cancelled,  Johnnie  insisted  upon  in- 
demnifying us  for  the  loss  of  time.  He  paid 
all  salaries,  estimated  the  probable  business 
receipts  upon  the  basis  of  packed  houses  and 
paid  that  also  to  our  treasurer. 

"  'In  Chicago  he  gave  another  exhibition 
of  his  eccentric  traits.  He  leased  the  Acad- 
emy of  Music  for  the  season  and  we  did  a 
big  business.  Finally  he  proposed  a  benefit 
for  Skiff  and  Gaylord  and  sent  over  to  rent 
the  Crosby  Opera  House,  then  the  finest  in 
the  country.  The  manager  sent  back  the  in- 
solent reply :  ''We  won't  rent  our  house  for 
an  infernal  nigger  show."  Johnnie  got 
warm  in  the  collar.  He  went  down  to  theii 
ofiftce  in  Root  and  Cady's  music  store. 

"  '  "What  will  you  take  for  your  house 
and  sell  it  outright?"  he  asked  Mr.  Root. 

"  '  "I  don't  want  to  sell." 

"  '  "I'll  give  you  a  liberal  price.  Money  is 
no  object." 

"  'Then  Johnnie  pulled  out  a  roll  from  his 
valise,  counted  out  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  and  asked  Root  if  that  was  an  object. 
Mr.  Root  was  thunderstruck.     "If  you  are 

III 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

that  kind  of  a  man  you  can  have  the  house 
for  the  benefit  free  of  charge."  The  benefit 
was  the  biggest  success  ever  known  in  min- 
strelsy. The  receipts  were  forty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  and  more  were  turned  away 
than  could  be  given  admission.  Next  day 
Johnnie  hunted  up  one  of  the  finest  carriage 
horses  in  the  city  and  presented  it  to  Mr. 
Boot  for  the  courtesy  extended. 

"  'Oh,  Johnnie  Avas  a  prince  with  his 
money.  I  have  seen  him  spend  as  high  as 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  one  day. 
That  was  the  time  he  hired  the  Continental 
Hotel  in  Philadelphia  and  wanted  to  buy 
the  Girard  House.  He  went  to  the  Conti- 
nental and  politely  said  to  the  clerk :  "Will 
you  please  tell  the  proprietor  that  J.  W. 
Steele  wishes  to  see  him?"  "No  sir,"  said  the 
clerk,  "the  landlord  is  busy."  Johnnie  sug- 
gested he  could  make  it  pay  the  clerk  to  ac- 
commodate the  whim.  The  clerk  became  dis- 
dainful and  Johnnie  tossed  a  bell-boy  a 
twenty-dollar  gold  piece  with  the  request. 
The  result  was  an  interview  Avith  the  land- 
lord. Johnnie  claimed  he  had  been  ill- 
treated  and  requested  the  summary  dismis- 
sal of  the  clerk.    The  proprietor  refused  and 

112 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Johnnie  offered  to  buy  the  hotel.  The  man 
said  he  could  uot  sell,  because  he  was  not 
the  entire  owner.  A  bargain  was  made  to 
lease  it  for  one  day  for  eight  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  cash  was  paid  over  and  Johnnie 
installed  as  landlord.  He  made  me  bell-boy, 
while  Slocum  officiated  as  clerk.  The  doors 
were  thrown  open  and  every  guest  in  the 
house  had  his  fill  of  wine  and  edibles  free  of 
cost.  A  huge  placard  was  posted  in  front  of 
the  hotel:  "Open  house  to-day;  everything 
free;  all  are  welcome!"  It  was  a  merry  lark. 
The  whole  city  seemed  to  catch  on  and  the 
house  was  full.  When  Johnnie  thought  he 
had  had  fun  enough  he  turned  the  hostelry 
over  to  the  landlord,  who  reinstated  the 
odious  clerk.  Here  was  a  howdedo.  John- 
nie was  frantic  with  rage.  He  went  over  to 
the  Girard  and  tried  to  buy  it.  He  arranged 
with  the  proprietor  to  "buck"  the  Continen- 
tal by  making  the  prices  so  low  that  every- 
body would  come  there.  The  Continental 
did  mighty  little  business  so  long  as  the  ar- 
rangement lasted. 

"  'The day  of  the  hotel  transaction  we  were 
up  on  Arch  street.  A  rain  setting  in,  John- 
nie approached  a  hack  in  front  of  a  fashion- 

113 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

able  store  and  tried  to  engage  it  to  carry  us 
up  to  the  Girard.  The  driver  said  it  was  im- 
possible, as  he  had  a  party  in  the  store. 
Johnnie  tossed  him  a  five  hundred  dollar 
bill  and  the  hackman  said  he  would  risk  it. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  hotel  Johnnie  said : 
"See  here,  Cabby,  you're  a  likely  fellow.  How 
would  you  like  to  own  that  rig?"  The  driver 
thought  he  was  joking,  but  Johnnie  handed 
him  two  thousand  dollars.  A  half  hour  later 
the  delighted  driver  returned  with  the  state- 
ment that  the  purchase  had  been  effected. 
Johnnie  gave  him  a  thousand  more  to  buy  a 
stable  and  that  man  to-day  is  the  wealthiest 
hack-owner  in  Philadelphia.' " 

Some  of  the  above  is  true.  However,  I 
never  cancelled  dates  of  the  troupe  and  paid 
their  expenses  while  they  were  "doing 
time;"  I  never  bought  or  leased  an  opera 
house  in  Chicago;  I  never  spent  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  in  a  day;  I  never 
hired  a  hotel ;  I  never  bought  a  carriage  on 
the  street  and  gave  it  away  after  a  ride 
around  the  town.  My  actions  were  bad 
enough,  but,  fortunately,  I  did  miss  per- 
forming some  of  the  freak  things  which  cer- 
114 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

tain  writers  have  laid  to  my  account.  How 
I  missed  them,  I  do  not  exactly  know,  but 
miss  them  I  did.  When  reading  an  article 
such  as  the  above,  one  feels  somewhat  like  a 
man  does  who  has  fooled  people  to  the 
extent  of  getting  his  obituary  into  print  be- 
fore he  dies,  and  reads  it  in  the  newspapers. 
Those  of  my  readers  who  have  passed 
through  that  experience  will,  I  am  sure, 
sympathize  with  the  feelings  I  had  when  I 
read  such  an  article  as  the  above.  The  writer 
of  the  book,  however,  kindly  corrects  some  of 
the  sentiments  in  the  article  which  he  pens. 
It  is  true  that  I  did  not  destroy  money  for 
fun,  but  I  literally  threw  it  away,  and  had 
what  I  thought  was  fun  as  a  recompense. 

I  never  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Hon.  John  Morrisey,  never  played  at  cards 
with  a  stranger,  and,  as  I  have  heretofore 
stated,  never  played  for  money  at  any  time. 
And  I  am  truly  grateful  to  this  author  for 
denying  the  old  statement  that  I  used  hun- 
dred dollar  bills  for  cigar  lighters.  I  believe 
I  did  make  a  liberal  subscription  to  the  sol- 
diers' monument  in  the  city  of  Franklin,  Pa. 

Another  writer  circulated  the  report  that 
I  lost  my  Meadville  property  in  a  game  of 

115 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

cards  with  Dan  Fowler.  While  it  is  true 
that  certain  parties  were  instrumental  in 
separating  me  from  my  Crawford  County 
possessions,  it  was  not  accomplished  by  the 
card  method;  although  now  I  would  look 
back  with  more  favor  upon  the  transaction, 
and  regard  it  as  having  been  more  honor- 
able, had  that  way  been  employed  instead  of 
the  one  which  was  used. 

There  were  two  games  for  which  I  had  a 
passion,  namely,  pin-pool  and  billiards.  I 
walked  enough  of  miles  around  a  billiard 
table  to  have  qualified  as  a  favorite  in  a  six- 
day  walking  contest,  and  spent  many  dol- 
lars upon  the  pastime  before  placing  myself 
outside  the  limit  of  what  is  known  as  an 
"easy  mark."  As  stated,  this  education  cost 
me  something  before  I  ceased  to  be  entirely 
"it,"  and  before  I  could  sport  around  a  table 
and  play  and  talk  for  the  edification  of  the 
crowd  as  well  as  some  other  fellow.  All  of 
which  leads  me  to  observe  that  if  you  want  a 
dead  open-and-shut  index  to  a  fellow's 
character,  notice  his  actions  and  listen  to  his 
conversation  and  remarks  while  he  is  en- 
gaged in  pushing  the  ivories  over  a  billiard 
table.  He  may  be  a  fairly  decent  and  sens- 
ii6 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ible  fellow  in  ordinary  affairs,  but  if  he  has 
any  weak  spots  in  his  make-up,  he  will  show 
them  if  he  thinks  a  crowd  is  watching  him 
while  he  is  at  plaj,  especially  if  he  is  at  all 
impressed  with  his  ability  as  a  cue-shover. 
In  fact,  men  have  been  known  to  swear 
while  playing  billiards  who  would  not 
swear  at  their  wives. 

Some  people  might  consider  it  an  honor 
to  have  a  brand  of  soap  named  after  them. 
But  somehow  or  other  I  never  liked  it,  es- 
pecially when  the  manufacturer  issued  a 
pamphlet  purporting  to  give  some  of  my  es- 
capades as  they  were  represented  in  the 
daily  press.  I  never  considered  that  they 
were  justified  in  libelling  me  even  for  the 
purpose  of  exploiting  a  brand  of  soap.  But 
doubtless,  like  many  other  pirates,  they  con- 
sidered that  I  had  no  feelings  which  anyone 
was  bound  to  respect. 


117 


xy 


CHAPTER  XI. 

While  my  partner  and  myself  clung 
closely  to  our  adopted  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, we  frequently  varied  our  life 
by  a  trip  to  adjoining  towns.  The 
cities  of  Washington,  Baltimore,  Cleve- 
land and  New  York  and  many  others,  were 
favored  financially  by  visits  from  us,  for  in 
each  of  these  places  we  strove  to  part  from 
some  of  our  "unearned  increment."  But  we 
never  stayed  for  any  great  length  of  time 
away  from  our  Quaker  City  haunts.  In  that 
place  we  had  our  friends,  such  as  they  were, 
and  the  people  having  become  accustomed 
to  our  "rough  and  rowdy  ways,"  did  not 
gaze  at  us  with  the  curiosity  that  met  us  at 
other  places.  Another  evidence  of  fame  that 
came  to  me  at  this  time  was  a  letter  from  a 
circus  man,  in  which  he  held  out  glittering 
inducements  to  me  to  travel  with  his  com- 
bination and  exhibit  myself  as  a  sort  of 
freak.  I  treated  the  offer,  however,  with  all 
the  scorn  I  could  muster,  and  informed  him 
that  I  was  engaged  in  running  a  little  show 

119 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

of  my  own,  which,  in  certain  ways,  at  least, 
was  a  complete  and  howling  success.  I  had 
no  desire  to  sit  by  the  side  of  the  fat  lady  or 
the  tattooed  man  and  be  pointed  out  as  the 
untamed  rooster  from  the  oil  regions. 

When  Slocum  and  myself  had  carried  out 
most  of  the  foolish  ideas  which  we  had  been 
able  to  conjure  up,  we  cudgeled  our  brain  for 
something  new.  We  did  not  want  to  feel 
stale.  Therefore  in  one  of  our  fits  of  idiocy 
we  decided  that  two  young  men  of  our  ten- 
dencies should  branch  out  into  the  horse- 
racing  business.  Slocum  was  the  first  to 
broach  the  idea,  and  I  was  so  much  elated 
over  it  that  I  invited  him  to  a  continuous 
performance  at  the  bar.  We  decided  that  no 
"common  scrub"  would  suffice  for  us;  we 
must  have  a  horse  that  would  make  all 
others  resemble  "thirty  cents"  as  he  would 
trot  down  the  home  stretch ;  an  animal  that 
would  make  his  owners  famous  wherever  the 
trotting  horse  was  known.  And  the  race 
track,  which  had  heretofore  only  recognized 
us  as  gay  and  festive  spectators,  should  now 
look  upon  us  as  important  factors  in  the  rac- 
ing annals  of  the  country. 

Therefore  I  started  out  to  find  an  animal 

1 20 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

that  would  answer  our  expectations.  As 
soon  as  people  found  out  what  I  was  after,  I 
was  offered  all  kinds  of  bargains  in  the 
horse  line,  in  the  shape  of  "comers,"  "was- 
ers,"  et  cetera,  but  I  informed  every  one  that 
I  was  lookino;  for  an  "iser."  As  I  was  in  a 
condition  that  would  as  likely  lead  me  to 
buy  a  saw-horse  as  a  sure  enough  equine  of 
flesh  and  blood,  I  was  liable  to  be  misled; 
but  at  last  I  found  a  horse  that  seemed  to 
please  my  fancy.  It  had  always  been  a  sort 
of  belief  of  mine  that  I  could  tell  by  looking 
at  a  horse's  ears  the  kind  of  a  disposition  he 
possessed.  But  I  must  say  that  this  animal 
upset  all  my  notions  of  horse  physiogomy 
completely.  He  had  a  sort  of  melting  look 
which  seemed  to  imply  plainly  that  he 
would  do  his  best  under  all  circumstances, 
in  fact  an  animal  that  one  could  tie  to.  I 
afterwards  found  that  this  was  true  to  the 
extent  that  anything  that  horse  was  tied  to 
was  perfectly  safe.  His  was  not  a  disturb- 
ing disposition.  He  was  guaranteed  sound 
of  limb  and  wind,  and  this  was  true.  He 
certainly  had  all  the  wind  capacity  which 
his  speed  called  for. 

We  purchased  him  and  placed  him  in  the 

121 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

hands  of  a  trainer  out  at  the  track,  to  whom 
we  afterwards  referred  as  "our  trainer," 
and  grew  an  inch  every  time  we  did  so.  The 
horse  was  a  pacer,  but  I  have  forgotten  his 
name.  I  started  out  deliberately  to  do  so 
after  the  first  race. 

Having  placed  him  in  the  hands  of  "our 
trainer,"  Slocum  and  I  visited  the  track  at 
Point  Breeze  almost  every  day  to  see  him 
"go."  We  were  all  wrapped  up  in  him.  All 
by  himself  he  could  go,  or  seemed  to  go,  fast- 
er than  any  horse  we  had  ever  seen.  There- 
fore we  entered  him  in  races  and  lived  in 
great  anticipation  of  the  events.  In  our 
minds  we  could  see  him  come  thundering 
down  the  track  and  covering  us  with  fame 
and  his  driver  with  mud  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  However,  it  came  to  pass  that 
the  horse  could  go  fast  enough  by  himself, 
but  in  the  company  of  others  he  developed 
a  shrinking  disposition — shirking,  Slocum 
called  it.  With  other  animals  around,  he 
appeared  exclusive  and  backward — way 
backward.  He  would  retire  within  himself 
when  most  was  expected  of  him.  If  the 
driver  had  been  aware  of  this,  he  kept  it  to 
himself.     From    his   standpoint   it   would 

122 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

have  been  poor  finance  for  him  to  have  given 
it  a  way. 

On  the  evening  preceding  the  race  we  went 
out  to  take  a  final  look  at  our  pet ;  saw  to  it 
that  he  was  properly  blanketed  and  band- 
aged ;  and  we  drove  home  with  pleasant  an- 
ticipations for  the  morrow.  Our  driver  was 
confident,  the  horse  seemed  so,  and  conse- 
quently so  were  we.  We  returned  to  the 
city,  toasted  the  horse  for  several  hours  and 
retired  to  dream  horse  dreams. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  race,  Slocum 
drove  one  of  the  horses  which  we  owned,  to 
a  road  wagon,  and  I  hitched  the  other  one 
of  the  team  to  a  sulky.  I  must  have  created 
a  sensation.  To  see  a  fellow  wearing  a  high 
hat,  sitting  on  a  sulky,  smoking  a  cigar,  and 
driving  along  the  street,  must  have  been  an 
edifying  spectacle  to  those  who  witnessed 
it,  a  sort  of  reminder  of  the  eternal  fitness 
of  things.  But  I  wanted  to  appear  sporty 
that  day,  and  I  was  not  at  all  disappointed 
with  myself. 

There  was  a  large  crowd  at  the  track,  and 
Slocum  and  I  congratulated  ourselves  that 
BO  many  had  come  out  to  see  our  horse.  Slo- 
cum at  first,  in  his  enthusiasm,  suggested 
123 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

that  we  treat  the  whole  crowd,  but  I  finally 
compromised  with  him  by  asking  him  to 
take  a  drink  with  me.  Our  driver  told  us 
that  he  was  confident  the  horse  would  make 
a  record  for  himself ;  and  he  certainly  did. 

The  time  for  "our  race"  arrived  finally. 
As  certain  horses  would  appear,  they  would 
be  cheered  by  their  admirers.  When  our  pet 
trotted  out,  or  paced  out,  the  crowd  seemed 
stunned,  for  no  sound  was  heard  except  the 
hip-hooray  emitted  by  Slocum  and  myself, 
at  which  some  of  the  crowd  started  and 
others  laughed.     I  did  not  know  why  then. 

But  soon  they  were  off,  with  our  horse 
right  up  in  the  bunch  as  far  as  the  quarter 
pole,  at  which  place  he  seemed  to  withdraw 
from  the  bunch,  or,  possibly  more  properly 
speaking,  the  bunch  left  him.  His  old  ex- 
clusive habit  overcame  him,  and  he  showed 
his  preference  for  going  along  by  himself  in- 
stead of  in  the  company  of  third-raters.  It 
would  have  pleased  us  better,  however,  if  he 
had  withdrawn  from  the  bunch  the  other 
way,  and  gone  ahead  of  it.  But  what  could 
one  expect,  anyway,  from  a  strong-minded 
horse  with  such  an  individuality  as  he  had. 
The  more  the  driver  urged,  the  haughtier  he 

124 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

became,  and,  the  truth  is,  he  was  hustling  to 
get  inside  the  distance  flag  just  as  the  band 
was  getting  ready  to  play  "Ilail  to  the 
Chief"  or  something  else  in  honor  of  a  third- 
rater  that  was  about  to  push  his  nose  under 
the  wire.  My  partner  and  I  respecting  the 
disposition  shown  by  our  horse,  never  en- 
tered him  in  another  race. 

Driving  home  from  the  races  in  those  days 
was  a  thrilling  and  dangerous  event,  a  sort 
of  free-for-all  contest  between  all  kinds  of 
horses,  attached  to  all  sorts  of  vehicles,  and 
driven  by  all  sorts  of  drivers,  all  spurred  by 
an  ambition  to  get  ahead  even  if  they  had  to 
run  their  animals.  Feeling  somewhat  dis- 
appointed with  my  track  experience  and 
somewhat  exhilirated  by  the  liquid  consola- 
tion which  I  had  absorbed,  I  resolved  to  beat 
that  crowd  up  the  road  or  die  in  the  attempt. 
My  horse  seemed  to  catch  my  spirit,  and  for 
a  time  our  efforts  seemed  crowned  with  suc- 
cess, but  just  at  that  time  my  sulky  collided 
with  another  vehicle,  and  my  expectations 
and  myself  took  a  drop.  When  I  came  to 
my  senses  a  few  moments  later  I  was  lying 
in  the  gutter,  with  my  vision  cast  skyward, 
with  the  skin  shy  from  one  side  of  my  face, 

125 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

and  the  horse  and  sulky  missing.  xVlso  on  ris- 
ing I  discovered  that  my  left  leg  had  become 
slightly  warped,  although  I  soon  got 
it  straightened  out  to  its  accustomed  length. 
A  leg  that  had  been  pulled  as  mine  had 
could  not,  in  the  nature  of  things,  stay 
warped  very  long  by  a  little  thing  like  a  col- 
lision. I  also  dared  to  hope  that  someone 
had  stolen  the  horse,  for  in  that  brief  after- 
noon I  had  become  disgusted  with  the  whole 
equine  family. 

Gathering  myself  together  I  boarded  a 
street  car,  and  set  the  passengers  in  conster- 
nation by  my  appearance.  My  stovepipe  hat 
resembled  an  accordeon,  and  I  resembled 
one  who  had  gotten  the  worst  of  it  in  a  stab- 
bing affray.  When  I  got  to  the  city  I  found 
the  horse  calmly  waiting  for  me  at  the  barn, 
the  proprietor  wondering  where  he  had  left 
me  and  one  wheel  of  the  sulky.  Our  racing 
animal  afterwards  did  business  for  a  street 
car  company,  which  I  always  considered  a 
good  joke  on  that  corporation. 


126 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Everyone  at  some  period  of  his  life  be- 
comes imbued  with  an  idea  that  he  is  cut  out 
for  something  which  is  totally  different 
from  what  Nature  really  intended,  and 
makes  a  "try"  at  it.  Of  course  he  bumps  up 
against  a  realization  of  misplaced  energy  in 
the  end.  I  had  always  been  fond  of  music, 
but  the  only  effort  I  had  ever  made  in  that 
line  was  in  the  choir  of  the  old  country 
church  that  I  attended  in  my  boyhood  days 
It  is  quite  probable  that  my  vocal  exertions 
there  would  not  have  met  with  the  approval 
of  a  more  discriminating  audience. 

But  a  fellow,  as  I  have  stated,  gets  into  a 
condition  of  mind  once  in  a  while,  especially 
when  he  has  been  trotting  along  with  no 
special  object  in  view  except  to  have  a  time 
of  it,  when  he  thinks  he  ought  to  take  up 
with  something  regular,  hook  on  to  some- 
thing tangible,  and  follow  something  at 
which  he  can  succeed;  seek  a  harbor  into 
which  to  steer  his  ship,  and  be  able  to  say  to 
people  that  he  has  accomplished  something. 
127 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

With  a  remembrance  of  the  approval,  or, 
at  least,  a  passive  forbearance,  with  my 
early  musical  efforts  when  I  was  first 
brought  before  the  public  as  a  singer  by 
"Aunt  Sally,"  I  concluded  that  now  I 
would  give  my  musical  talents  a  chance  to 
shine  in  another  direction  for  the  edification 
of  the  world.  I  chose  a  cornet  as  an  imple- 
ment of  torture,  and  paid  for  the  same 
seventy-five  dollars.  This  was  a  foolish 
move,  as  a  second-hand  fifteen  dollar  instru- 
ment would  have  created  just  as  much  con- 
sternation and  distress.  I  began  prac- 
tice in  my  rooms  at  the  Girard  House.  Those 
who  have  listened  to  the  melodious  strains 
emanating  from  an  old-fashioned  country 
"horning  bee"  or  have  lived  to  hear  the  in- 
spired notes  of  a  "calathumpian  band,"  will 
have  some  idea  of  what  the  guests  of  the 
hotel  had  to  endure  while  I  was  engaged  in 
the  effort  to  make  a  musician  out  of  myself 
by  the  cornet  method.  Not  only  the  occu- 
pants of  the  house,  however,  but  the  whole 
block  was  affected,  and  during  these  musical 
spasms  of  mine  I  was  regularly  consigned  to 
the  infernal  regions  by  a  large  and  respect- 
able portion  of  Philadelphia. 

128 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

The  tune  of  "Hail  Columbia''  was  at  that 
time  more  popular  than  now,  and  was  the 
object  of  my  first  attack.  I  coaxed  as  much 
of  it  out  of  the  instrument  as  I  could,  but 
what  came  out  was  mangled  and  in  pieces. 
Philadelphia  had  never  heard  the  like  of  it 
before,  and  possibly  has  never  heard  any- 
thing approaching  it  since.  During  the 
balmy  weather,  when  I  had  my  windows 
open,  the  people  were  treated  to  an  inferno 
of  sounds  that  a  people  less  God-fearing 
would  have  never  submitted  to  for  a  mo- 
ment. It  is  said  that  the  wooden  blinds  so 
common  upon  the  houses  in  Philadelphia 
were  put  there  during  this  period  of  my  mu- 
sical madness.  Nor  did  all  Philadelphia 
within  hearing  put  up  with  my  efforts  with- 
out a  grumble,  and  indications  of  this  dis- 
content reached  me  frequently.  The  man- 
agement of  the  hotel  never  directly  asked 
me  to  cease  the  murderous  work,  as  I  had 
been  a  somewhat  profitable  boarder,  and 
they  expected,  I  guess,  to  make  a  good  deal 
more  out  of  me.  But  indirectly  hints  did 
reach  me.  Occasionally  a  bell  boy  would 
rap  at  my  door  and  earnestly  inquire  if  any- 
thing was  the  matter.    I   always  assured 

129 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

them  I  was  all  right ;  and  while  appreciating 
the  gentle  hints  thrown  out,  I  argued  that 
they  or  no  one  else  had  the  right  to  disturb 
my  musical  lessons,  much  less  deprive  the 
world  of  a  musician  of  promised  renown.  So 
I  continued  jDouring  my  soul  into  that  horn 
and  skipped  notes  and  flatted  where  I  should 
not  have  done  so,  to  the  great  edification  of 
myself.  During  these  performances  the 
bells  in  the  office  were  kept  on  a  constant 
jangle  by  well-meaning,  but  unappreciative 
guests,  who  insisted  on  m}^  suppression. 
Such  expressions  as  the  following  would  oc- 
casionally float  up  to  where  I  was  located : 

"Tell  that  blankety  blank  would-be  player 
to  let  up." 

"Tell  that  musical  blacksmith  that  there 
is  a  law  in  Pennsylvania  against  such  out- 
rages." 

"Tell  him  to  go  and  soak  his  horn  in  a 
little  coal-oil." 

Of  course  there  were  many  other  expres- 
sions, more  or  less  forcible,  some  intended 
to  be  scorching,  and  others  uttered  in  a 
pleading,  please  don't,  tone.  The  wonder  is 
that  I  escaped  arrest.  The  hotel  proprietor 
was  charitable,  as  I  supposed,  for  he  never 

130 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

said  a  word  at  the  time,  but  later  when  he 
presented  me  with  a  board  bill  of  nineteen 
thousand  dollars  I  reflected  that  there  might 
have  been  some  method  in  his  silence.  It 
did  not  state  in  so  many  words,  "To  dam- 
ages caused  by  trying  to  play  a  cornet,"  but 
I  thought  I  could  see  it  there  just  the  same ; 
and  the  impression  lingers  with  mo  still 
that  my  musical  education  cost  me  more 
than  the  education  of  some  more  pretentious 
tooter.  I  have  several  notes  which  were 
sent  to  me  during  this  agonizing  period,  one 
of  which  reads : 

"Kind  Sir :  I  like  music  as  well  as  anyone, 
and  would  suggest  that  a  young  man  of  your 
talent  should  go  to  Europe  to  complete  his 
education.  If  you  are  lacking  in  funds,  I 
am  confident  sufficient  money  can  be  raised 
among  the  guests  of  the  hotel  to  place  you 
beyond  the  reach  of  worry  and  want.  This 
is  written  by  one  who  not  only  has  your  wel- 
fare, but  the  welfare  of  others,  at  heart." 

Slocum  and  I  studied  over  this  letter  a 
little.  He  thought  he  could  read  between 
the  lines  a  delicate  invitation  to  me  to  cease 
my  devotions.  However,  I  was  inclined  to 
give  the  writer  credit  for  entire  sincerity. 

131 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Another  note  which  I  received  read  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Mister,  please  stop  that  hellish  noise." 

This  seemed  to  me  direct  and  explicit,  and 
more  to  the  point.  I  considered  the  writer 
displeased. 

Continuing  my  practice  of  "Hail  Colum- 
bia," I  got  another  note  from  the  writer  of 
the  first  one,  which  read  as  follows : 

"I  do  not  suppose  anything  but  a  fire 
which  would  consume  you  and  your  imple- 
ment of  torture,  or  an  earthquake  which 
would  engulf  you  both,  would  ever  stop  the 
soul-torturing  and  nerve-destroying  noise 
of  which  you  are  the  author.  I  recognize 
that  the  chances  are  all  against  this  appeal 
percolating  what  little  brain  you  have,  but 
if  it  should  get  wedged  in  anywhere,  I  will 
be  considered  a  benefactor  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  enraged  and  outraged  sufferers." 

I  found  the  above  note  under  my  door.  It 
seemed  direct  and  explicit  enough,  but  it  did 
not  make  me  feel  good.  It  certainly  had  the 
effect  of  smothering  my  musical  ambition. 
The  atmosphere  of  Philadelphia  was  no 
longer  split  by  disquieting  tones;  and  later 
I  gave  the  horn  to  a  member  of  the  band  of 
132 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Skiff  and  Gaylord\s  minstrels,  in  wliich,  it 
will  be  remembered,  I  was  a  silent  dividend 
drawer. 

To  succeed  when  the  world  is  with  you  is 
one  thing;  to  succeed  when  it  is  against  you 
is  a  different  matter.  Meeting  with  dis- 
couragement in  my  musical  ambitions,  I 
struck  out  on  another  tack  that  I  thought 
would  sail  me  into  a  port  where  my  coming 
would  be  recognized. 

Back  in  the  oil  country  when  I  was  work- 
ing there  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  mix 
with  a  crowd  of  fellows  who  were  as  ready 
to  fight  as  to  eat,  and  the  man  who  could  use 
his  fists  to  good  purpose  had  an  advantage 
which  sometimes  stood  him  in  good  stead. 
I  had  been  in  the  habit  of  putting  on  the 
gloves  with  some  of  the  boys,  and  acquitted 
myself  well  enough  to  cause  me  to  think  I 
could  stand  up  before  anything  of  my 
weight  that  walked.  ]My  disposition  was 
never  a  quarrelsome  one,  and  my  fighting 
was  always  confined  to  good-natured  bouts 
with  my  friends.  My  success  gave  me  con- 
fidence, and  enabled  me  to  take  chances  in 
tough  crowds  that  otherwise  I  would  not 
have  taken. 

133 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Having  now  forsaken  the  horn  by  force  of 
circumstances,  I  decided  to  renew  my  inter- 
est in  boxing.  I  argued  that  possibly  the 
world  would  shortly  be  brought  to  know  a 
new  middle-weight  champion  of  the  roped 
arena.  Having  fully  made  up  to  this  effect 
all  the  mind  I  possessed,  I  went  over  to  New 
York  and  introduced  myself  to  no  less  a  per- 
sonage than  Joe  Coburn,  the  celebrated  fis- 
tic anaesthetic,  but  who  had  retired  practic- 
ally from  his  regular  occupation  of  putting 
people  to  sleep,  and  was  then  running  a  sort 
of  "academy"  where  he  taught  the  manly  art 
to  those  who  paid  for  the  privilege  of  being 
punched  around,  and  where  he  sold  drinks 
on  the  side  for  the  edification  of  those  who 
were  bothered  with  a  thirst.  I  made  ar- 
rangements to  become  one  of  his  pupils,  and 
went  "into  training." 

I  believe  he  sized  me  up  the  first  time  I  put 
in  an  appearance.  He  showed  me  his  ideas 
of  how  to  guard  and  counter,  and  as  he  al- 
lowed me  to  hit  him  a  few  raps  occasionally, 
which  would  bring  from  him  such  remarks 
as  "That's  good,"  "Bully  boy,"  I  began  to 
think  I  was  becoming  "it"  with  a  large  I, 
and  in  a  short  time  would  be  obliged  to  take 

134 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

up  with  a  professor  who  was  liandior  than 
he.  I  was  elated.  I  was  no  horn-blower, 
but  I  was  a  boxer!  If,  I  thought,  the  boys 
with  whom  I  used  to  box  could  only  see  me 
now,  as  I  was  standing  up  and  punching  one 
of  the  greatest  ring  generals  in  the  world, 
how  they  would  envy  me,  and  how  proud 
they  would  be  to  boast  that  in  their  youthful 
days  they  had  donned  the  mits  with  "Coal- 
Oii  Johnny." 

Then  the  lights  went  out.  My  face  went 
up  against  a  good  swift  punch,  and  I  laid 
down,  too  tired  to  even  dream.  When  con- 
sciousness returned  I  smiled  a  sickly  sort  of 
smile,  and  asked  everyone  to  take  a  drink. 
This  was  a  plan  which  I  regularly  adopted, 
and  the  crowd  soon  found  it  out  and  brought 
their  friends,  and  soon  Coburn  was  doing  a 
first-class  business  at  my  expense.  When 
the  bar  would  try  to  take  a  rest,  he  would 
slide  in  his  right  and  trade  would  again 
thrive.  In  fact  I  was  a  good  thing,  and  each 
bump  cost  me  money. 

I  soon  concluded  that  boxing  was  not  my 
forte,  and  sore,  and  somewhat  discouraged, 
I  went  back  to  Philadelphia.  Coburn  said 
he  was  sorry  to  see  me  go ;  but  I  was  willing 

135 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

to  let  my  refnitation  rest  solely  on  the  lau- 
rels I  had  gained  among  the  boys  along  the 
creek,  and  let  Coburn's  bartender  have  a 
much-needed  rest. 

When  I  got  back  to  Philadelphia,  my 
friends  hardly  knew  me.  When  I  explained 
to  them  the  reason  for  the  condition  of  my 
visage,  they  only  smiled. 

During  the  winter  the  boys  would  some- 
times go  skating  at  the  rink.  In  the  real, 
true  sense  of  the  term,  I  had  never  had 
skates  on  in  my  life,  although  in  the  slang 
sense  I  had  donned  them  several  times.  Be- 
ing urged,  I  bought  a  pair  one  day  and  went 
with  the  crowd.  Two  of  them  volunteered 
to  teach  me,  one  on  each  side.  My  feet  wob- 
bled around,  entirely  out  of  my  control,  and 
the  more  I  was  escorted  the  further  I 
seemed  to  get  from  the  point  where  I  could 
go  it  alone.  I  remembered  that  when  I  was 
younger  I  could  slide  upon  the  ice  very  suc- 
cessfully, though  without  skates,  and  I  rea- 
soned that  possibly  I  could  do  so  when  wear- 
ing them.  So  the  fellows  permitted  me  to 
back  and  take  a  run.  The  start  was  all 
right.  I  was  skipping  along  in  good  shape. 
Then  my  feet  began  to  wobble,  my  arms  to 

136 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

describe  angles,  which  resembled  the  ges- 
tures of  a  man  in  distress.  And  I  was. 
People  got  either  in  my  way,  or  I  could  not 
get  out  of  theirs,  and  I  knocked  them  down. 
They  were  strewn  all  over  the  rink.  I  was 
a  sort  of  terror  let  loose.  Then  I  leaned 
back  too  far,  my  feet  went  up  into  the  place 
usually  occupied  by  my  head,  and  I  studied 
astronomy  for  a  few  moments  and  saw  more 
double  stars  than  were  ever  seen  through  a 
telescope.  I  awoke  to  find  myself  the  center 
of  a  partially  maddened  throng,  and  lis- 
tened to  several  opinions  of  myself  which  I 
did  not  consider  at  all  flattering.  I  removed 
the  skates  and  threw  them  somewhere,  and 
went  home  and  poulticed  myself. 


137 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  agreemeut  with  Mr.  Wickham,  by  the 
terms  of  which  he  was  to  have  the  use  of  my 
farm  for  six  mouths  at  a  reutal  of  thirty 
thousaud  dollars,  which  would  apply  as  so 
much  purchase  mouey  upon  the  sale  of  the 
farm  to  him  at  twelve  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  providing  I  could  make  a  clear  deed 
of  the  land  at  the  end  of  the  rental  period, 
went  into  effect  about  January  1st,  1865. 
That  is,  under  the  foregoing  arrangement 
he  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  farm  at  the 
time  stated.  I  had  received  the  thirty  thous- 
and dollars.  In  talking  over  the  transaction 
with  him  a  little  later  in  the  day  on  which 
Wickham  paid  me  the  thirt}^  thousand  dol- 
lars, he  asked  me  to  sign  a  note  for  that 
amount,  so  as  to  secure  him  in  case  anything 
should  turn  up  whereby  he  could  not  hold 
the  farm  for  the  full  term.  If  at  the  end  of 
six  months  the  agreement  was  fulfilled,  the 
note  was  to  be  returned  to  me.  Without 
waiting  to  see  whether  the  contract  would 
be  fulfilled,  he  entered  the  note  as  a  judg- 

139 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ment  against  the  farm  on  January  9th, 
1865,  in  the  courts  of  Venango  County.  S. 
Q.  Brown  also  entered  the  same  judgment 
against  my  Meadville  property  about  a 
month  later.  Through  some  private  trans- 
action between  Wickham  and  Brown, 
Brown  came  into  possession  of  the  note,  and 
entered  it  as  stated.  Instead  of  recognizing 
the  spirit  of  our  agreement,  AYickham  pro- 
ceeded upon  the  idea,  I  think,  that  the  thir- 
ty thousand  dollars  was  to  be  considered  as 
a  loan,  which  it  was  not,  in  any  sense  of  the 
word.  I  do  not  wish  to  do  anyone  an  injus- 
tice, but  the  whole  affair  looked  to  me  then, 
and  more  particularly  in  the  light  of  later 
years,  like  a  scheme  to  wrest  my  property 
from  me. 

In  Februarj^  of  1865,  Dan  Fowler,  my 
Meadville  friend,  visited  me  in  Philadelphia 
and  conveyed  to  me  the  news  that  a  judg- 
ment had  been  entered  against  my  Mead- 
ville property;  also  that  I  had  not  made  all 
my  payments  on  the  same  as  per  my  agree- 
ment with  Horace  Cullum.  Fowler,  too, 
had  entered  a  judgment  against  my  Mead- 
ville holdings  for  six  thousand  dollars,  for 
money  he  had  loaned  to  me.  It  is  true  that  I 

140 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

had  borrowed  some  money  from  him  prior 
to  1113^  arrangement  with  AVickham,  and,  in 
the  confusion  attendant  upon  my  Philadel- 
phia career,  could  not  state  the  exact 
amount,  though  I  never  believed  it  equalled 
the  amount  of  the  judgment.  He  also  en- 
tered the  judgment  against  my  oil  farm  in 
Venango  County,  and  later  entered  another 
judgment  of  twenty  thousand  dollars 
against  the  farm,  but  for  what  reason  I  did 
not  know  then  and  do  not  know  to-day. 

As  stated,  when  Fowler  visited  me  in 
Philadelphia  in  February,  1865,  he  brought 
me  word  that  my  payments  in  the  transac- 
tions with  Cullum  had  not  been  kept;  and 
he  also  informed  me  of  the  judgments  en- 
tered by  himself  and  Brown.  The  news  of 
this  laxity  in  the  matter  of  payments  came 
to  me  as  a  surprise,  and  almost  sobered  me 
up.  Later  I  ascertained  that  my  agreement 
with  Cullum  had  been  kept,  that  my  agent, 
William  Blackstone,  had  attended  to  the 
payments,  and  to-day  I  have  a  receipt  in  my 
possession  for  all  of  them,  amounting  to 
forty-five  thousand  dollars,  which  repre- 
sented my  interest  in  the  business  block. 

Fowler  represented  himself  as  a  sort  of 

141 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

angel  of  mercy.  He  pandered  to  my  weak- 
nesses, and  called  old  "John  Barleycorn"  in 
to  assist  him.  He  stated  that  I  would  never 
receive  much,  if  anything,  from  the  Mead- 
ville  proj^erty,  and  that  he  thought  it  would 
soon  be  hopelessly  beyond  my  control.  In 
this  he  was  right.  He  further  stated  that  if 
I  would  deed  the  property  over  to  him,  he 
would  make  me  a  present  of  sixteen  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  if  there  should  be  anything 
left  after  the  judgments  were  satisfied,  he 
would  give  me  the  benefit  of  it,  and  he 
thought  he  would  probably  be  able  to  save 
something  over  and  above  what  these 
amounted  to. 

Leaving  Philadelphia,  Fowler  proceeded 
to  Rouseville  to  see  Mrs,  Steele,  and  repre- 
sented to  her  that  he  had  purchased  my 
Meadville  property,  and  asked  for  her  signa- 
ture to  the  deed.  Possessing  more  sense  than 
I  had  displayed,  she  hesitated  about  signing. 
He  informed  her  that  all  my  Meadville  pos- 
sessions were  involved,  and  were  bound  to 
go  out  of  our  control,  anyway;  that  he  felt 
sorry  because  we  had  to  lose  so  much  prop- 
erty, and  on  account  of  that  sympathy  was 
willing  to  pay  her  three  thousand  dollars  in 

142 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

return  for  her  signature  to  the  deed — a  mat- 
ter easy  of  granting,  a  mere  trifle.  The  not- 
ary— I  do  not  recall  his  name,  but  he  must 
have  been  a  close  friend  of  Fowler's — inter- 
jected his  opinion  that,  as  Mrs.  Steele  was 
not  of  age,  the  fact  of  her  signing  the  deed 
would  really  make  no  difference;  but  that 
she  might  as  well  sign  the  document,  as  it 
would  be  like  finding  money. 

Thus  misled,  Mrs.  Steele  finally  consent- 
ed, signed  the  deed,  although  she  stated  to 
them  she  did  not  do  so  of  her  own  free  will, 
and  Fowler  and  his  man  Friday  went  their 
way,  carrying  in  their  inside  pocket  half  of 
a  Meadville  business  block,  a  ten  thousand 
dollar  residence,  and  the  Barton  farm. 

Not  hearing  anything  from  Fowler  after 
he  was  supposed  to  arrive  home,  a  few  weeks 
after  the  transaction  I  went  to  Meadville  to 
see  him.  And  while  I  succeeded  in  doing  so, 
I  found  him  an  altogether  different  man  in 
his  actions  toward  me  than  formerly.  He 
was  now  the  possessor  of  my  property,  and 
he  could  not  find  time  to  talk  to  me.  Wit- 
nessing this  coldness,  it  began  to  dawn  upon 
me  that  I  had  been  duped.  If  I  had  had 
someone  to  advise  me  properly  at  the  time, 

143 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  am  quite  certain  I  could  have  compelled 
him  to  disgorge ;  but  I  was  chary  in  seeking 
advice,  for  so  far  in  my  career  it  seemed  as 
if  everyone  was  inclined  to  advise  me  wrong. 
So  chagrined  did  I  feel  about  being  taken  in 
in  the  above  transaction,  that  I  never  said 
anything  about  it  until  the  present. 

Whether  or  not  Fowler  came  to  Philadel- 
phia as  a  representative  of  Mr.  Cullum,  by 
whom  he  had  theretofore  been  employed  in 
selling  barrels  to  the  oil  producers  along 
Oil  Creek,  I  do  not  know.  Certainly  while 
in  Philadelphia,  and  in  the  transaction  with 
Mrs.  Steele,  he  so  represented  himself,  and 
the  property  was  deeded  to  him.  One  fact, 
however,  is  indelibly  impressed  upon  my 
memory,  and  that  is,  I  met  Fowler  first  in 
the  month  of  March,  1864,  when  he  was  sell- 
ing barrels  along  the  creek,  and  that  in  Feb- 
ruary of  the  following  year  he  owned  sixty- 
seven  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  what  had 
been  my  property,  for  which  I  never  re- 
ceived any  return  except  the  amount  which 
he  had  loaned  me,  and  the  sixteen  hundred 
doUars  paid  to  me  in  Philadelphia.  In  ad- 
dition there  was  the  three  thousand  dollars 
paid  to  my  wife  at  the  time  she  signed  the 
deed.  (,,4) 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  am  aware  that  the  foregoing  reflects 
rather  harsly  upou  my  mental  condition  at 
the  time  and  upon  my  lack  of  comprehen- 
sion of  business  matters.  In  fact,  I  was  a 
regular  bargain  counter.  Yet  I  am  willing 
to  allow  my  actions  to  stand  in  comparison 
with  those  of  the  people  who  handled  the 
other  end  of  the  transactions. 

Troubles,  they  say,  never  come  singly, 
and  when  they  started  on  me  they  seemed  to 
flock.  At  the  end  of  six  months  Wickham 
gave  up  the  farm,  claiming  it  had  not  pro- 
duced enough  oil  to  justify  a  purchase,  al- 
though before  this  period  1  had  so  adjusted 
matters  with  Hamilton  McClintock  that  I 
could  offer  a  clear  title  to  the  propertj^  and 
was  in  a  position,  upon  receipt  of  the  pur- 
chase price,  to  pay  all  judgments  against  my 
holdings.  The  withdrawal  of  Wickham, 
however,  left  me  without  resources,  except 
to  the  extent  that  I  could  "raise  the  dust" 
myself  by  operating  the  farm.  I  am  happy 
to  say  that,  so  far  as  possible,  I  paid  my  ob- 
ligations; but  the  avalanche  of  judgments 
that  rushed  down  upon  me  proved  so  heavy 
as  to  almost  overwhelm  and  discourage  me. 
Learning    of    my    embarrassments,    other 

145 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

creditors  were  not  slow  in  rushing  in.  Tlie 
correctness  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
amounts  I  have  always  questioned,  but  the 
creditors  went  upon  the  principle  that,  as 
long  as  the  slaughtering  had  begun,  they 
might  as  well  make  a  complete  job  of  it.  In 
Philadelphia  I  owed  four  firms,  besides  a 
small  balance  upon  my  board  bill  at  the  Gir- 
ard  House.    But  this  is  what  I  got : 

Henry  Carnegie,  proprietor  of  the  hotel, 
entered  a  judgment  of  nineteen  thousand 
dollars.  I  thought  I  had  paid  him  nearly 
everything,  but  this  bill  brought  to  me  the 
conclusion  that  I  had  not  practiced  the 
strict  economy  I  should  have  done.  They 
must  have  charged  me  for  the  air  I  breathed 
and  then  read  the  meter  wrong.  The  four 
firms  mentioned  to  enter  judgments  were  J. 
E.  Caldwell  &  Company,  jewelers,  for  five 
thousand  dollars;  Lewis  Ladomus,  jeweler, 
for  six  thousand  dollars;  Charles  Oakford 
&  Company,  tailors,  five  hundred  and  forty- 
one  dollars ;  and  last,  but  not  least.  Field  & 
Collender,  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  In  ex- 
planation of  the  latter  I  would  say,  some 
friend  of  Slocum's  Avanted  to  start  a  billiard 
room;  and  the  latter,  together  witli  George 
146 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Brotherton,  went  liis  security  to  the  amount 
of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  the  claim 
came  upon  me.  As  to  the  jewelry,  I  must 
confess  that  more  people  in  the  Quaker  City 
were  wearing  diamonds  and  such  than  there 
were  before  we  made  our  sensational  ent- 
rance into  the  city.  The  greater  part  of  the 
jewelry  for  which  I  received  the  bills  was 
gotten  by  my  friends,  and  some  of  it  found 
its  way  into  pawn  sliops  or  vras  sold  below 
cost  to  raise  money  when  finances  were  low. 
Gold  at  that  time  was  worth  |2.50,  and  dia- 
monds in  proportion.  So  it  is  evident  that 
it  took  some  money  to  deck  our  crowd  out 
with  this  costly  material. 

Andrew  Mcknight  also  entered  a  judg- 
ment against  me  for  five  thousand  dollars. 
He  took  a  lease  on  the  farm  before  Mrs.  Mc- 
Clintock  died,  drilled  a  well,  which  proved 
dry,  and  when  the  farm  came  into  my  pos- 
session he  wanted  me  to  pay  him  the  money 
he  had  lost.  This  I  refused  to  consider,  and 
he  entered  a  judgment. 

Disgusted  with  myself,  discouraged  and 
sick  at  heart,  upon  the  advice  of  Major 
James  Mackey,  my  agent,  I  turned  the  farm 
over  to  Mrs.  Steele  for  whatever  benefit  she 

147 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

could  derive  from  it.  It  was  also  upon  his 
advice  that  Mrs.  Steele  sold  the  farm  to  Tay- 
lor, Mackey  &  Company  for  twenty  thous- 
and dollars.  Immediately  following  the 
purchase,  Judge  William  A.  Galbraith,  of 
Erie,  Pa.,  entered  up  a  judgment  of  |10,000 
for  legal  services;  Charles  E.  Taylor,  of 
Franklin,  entered  two  judgments,  amount- 
ing to  112,500,  and  James  Mackey,  a  judg- 
ment for  |5,000.  I  do  not  believe  that  any 
of  these  judgments  were  valid,  as  I  did  not 
owe  any  of  the  parties  one  cent,  and  the 
judgments  were  doubtless  entered  against 
the  property  to  ward  off  others  which  might 
have  been  contemplated.  Galbraith's  claim 
was  for  legal  services,  but  I  had  paid  him  all 
I  owed  him.  I  had  never  had  any  dealings 
with  Charles  E.  Taylor  up  to  that  time,  and 
Mackey's  claim  was  for  services  rendered, 
I  believe. 

They  took  possession  of  the  land  in  March, 
1866,  and  ran  it  until  January  1st,  1867. 
After  they  had  held  it  for  this  period  ( I  was 
absent),  Mrs.  Steele  insisted  upon  the  pur- 
chase price.  And  although  the  farm  had 
been  held  by  them  for  nearly  a  year,  all  she 
realized  from  it  Avas  six  thousand  dollars. 

148 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

So  the  famous  aud  much-talked  of  oil 
farm  passed  out  of  our  possession.  If  in  my 
short,  grotesque  and  foolish  career  as  own- 
er and  proprietor  I  had  been  surrounded  by 
men  who  had  had  my  best  interests  at  heart 
instead  of  by  those  who  seemed  to  wish  to 
profit  by  my  weaknesses  and  innocence  of 
legal  procedure  and  business  methods,  cir- 
cumstances might  have  been  altered,  and  in- 
stead of  being  held  up  to  the  public  in  the 
light  of  a  silly,  unreasoning  spendthrift,  I 
would  have  been  in  possession  of  an  ample 
fortune  during  my  declining  years. 

In  January,  18G7,  the  farm  was  sold 
under  the  sheriff's  hammer,  and  was  bid  in 
by  George  W.  Hinkle,  of  Philadelphia,  for 
thirty-five  thousand  dollars.  It  was  after- 
wards controlled  by  a  company,  the  shares  of 
which  were  one  hundred  dollars  each.  It  has 
passed  through  various  hands,  until  to-day 
it  is  owned  by  Mr.  John  Wait,  of  Oil  City, 
who,  by  drilling  upon  the  hillsides  as  well 
as  along  the  banks  of  the  creek,  and  adopt- 
ing up-to-date  methods  in  oil  production, 
has  once  more  converted  it  into  one  of  the 
best  paying  properties  along  Oil  Creek. 
I^fany  a  lease  in  the  oil  regions  to-day  is 

149 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

\Yorked  profitably  that  would  have  been  aban- 
doned as  worthless  by  the  operators  of  the 
earlier  days.  The  pumping  rig,  by  which 
several  dozen  wells  can  be  pumped  from  one 
engine,  is  a  great  labor  and  expense  saver 
over  the  old  method  of  a  boiler  and  engine 
at  each  well.  The  storing  of  oil  in  tanks, 
and  the  transiportation  of  it  therefrom  by 
means  of  barrels,  boats,  etc.,  were  large 
items  of  expense  in  the  early  days  of  the  oil 
business,  and  made  many  wells  valueless 
that  have  since  become  extremely  profitable 
by  reason  of  improved  methods  of  handling 
oil.  As  a  consequence,  many  thousands  of 
acres  of  oil  territory  abandoned  as  worth- 
less then,  have  in  later  years  been  converted 
into  veritable  mines  of  wealth.  Great  pipe 
line  companies  send  gangers  to  the  wells 
now,  who  gauge  the  oil  in  the  tank.  The 
ganger  presents  the  producer  with  a  certifi- 
cate of  the  amount  of  oil,  then  turns  the 
fluid  into  the  line  of  the  company.  When 
the  price  of  oil  is  satisfactory  to  the  owner, 
he  presents  his  certificate  at  the  office  of  the 
company  and  receives  the  current  price  for 


150 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

his  oil,  with  a  small  amount  deducted  there- 
from to  cover  pipeage  and  storage  charges. 
Such  methods  have  caused  the  sun  to  shine 
in  many  places  in  the  oil  regions  where 
otherwise  there  would  have  been  perpetual 
shadow, 


151 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Through  some  kind  provision  of  Nature, 
the  pleasantest  of  dreams  often  come  to 
those  whose  daily  lives  are  crowded  full  of 
trial  and  grief,  and  it  is  good  that  it  is  so, 
for  in  that  brief  forgetfulness  of  daily  trials 
they  find  their  only  happiness  on  this  big 
earth.  The  poor  man  in  his  hovel  may 
dream  of  a  palace,  where  everything  is  of  the 
gold  and  glitter  order,  where  every  want 
may  be  granted  simply  for  the  asking,  and 
where  the  care-furrowed  brow  is  made 
smooth.  However,  such  surcease  from  life's 
actualities  is  only  temporary,  and  some- 
times only  serves  to  make  the  real  existence 
more  bitter.  No  matter  whether  the  dream- 
er be  a  king  lying  upon  his  downy  couch  or 
the  beggar  resting  upon  a  board,  to  each  the 
awakening  always  comes,  the  terrible  reali- 
ties of  life  again  face  them. 

To-day  as  I  look  back  upon  that  period  of 
my  life  when  I  might  have  accomplished  so 
much  good  for  myself  and  my  friends,  and 
accomplished  nothing;  when  I  think  of  the 

153 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

obligations  of  manhood  placed  upon  me  by- 
reason  of  my  family  and  friends,  which  I 
carelessly  and  thoughtlessly  cast  aside  to 
rush  into  and  be  engulfed  by  a  vortex  of  dis- 
sipation, it  seems  as  though  it  were  a  dream, 
so  utterly  impossible  and  inhuman  does  it 
appear  to  me  now. 

From  the  time  I  made  the  bargain  with 
William  H.  Wickham  in  the  Girard  House 
of  Philadelphia,  by  the  terms  of  which  he 
paid  me  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  held 
dangling  before  my  eyes  the  promise  of  over 
a  million  dollars  more  in  six  months  from 
that  time,  my  feet  trod  the  downward  way, 
and  at  all  times  I  was  surrounded  by  those 
who  were  willing  and  read}'  to  accompany 
me,  so  long  as  I  paid  the  freight.  I  spent  my 
money  foolishly,  recklessly,  wickedly,  gave 
it  away  without  excuse;  threw  dollars  to 
street  urchins  to  see  them  scramble;  tipped 
waiters  with  five  and  ten  dollar  bills;  was 
intoxicated  most  of  the  time,  and  kept  the 
crowd  surrounding  me  usually  in  the  same 
condition. 

I  seemed  to  forget  the  folks  at  home.  The 
easiest  thing  in  the  world  is  to  forget,  even 
those  things  which  should  be  kept  in  mem- 

154 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ory.  Once  or  twice,  however,  I  broke  away 
from  Philadelphia  to  go  back  to  the  old 
farm.  Once  Slocum  accompanied  me;  an- 
other time  Brotherton  went  along,  at  my  ex- 
pense, and  we  scattered  wild  oats  on  the 
way.  I  was  sufficiently  conscience-stricken, 
however,  that  I  did  not  want  to  see  my  wife ; 
but  I  did  talk  to  her  once,  and  then  she 
pleaded  with  me  to  forsake  my  evil  ways  be- 
fore it  was  too  late.  I  paid  no  attention  to 
this  at  the  time,  for  I  went  back  to  Philadel- 
phia and  resumed  the  usual  course.  Liquor 
can  make  a  man  sell  his  soul  to  the  devil 
quicker  than  anything  else  on  earth,  and  cer- 
tainly at  this  time  mine  was  going  devil- 
ward  as  fast  as  it  could.  A  good  evidence 
of  this  is  shown  by  my  neglect  of  those  who, 
although  they  could  have  justly  cast  me  off, 
remained  true,  hoping  that  some  day  I 
would  forsake  my  evil  ways  and  companions 
and  hold  my  head  up  amongst  men.  I  am 
not  a  temperance  lecturer,  and  never  wrote 
an  article  on  the  subject  in  my  life,  but  if 
someone  were  to  ask  me  to  pen  a  sentiment 
for  the  benefit  of  the  young  men  who  have 
to  face  the  temptations  of  the  world,  I  do 
not  know  of  anything  better  to  say  than, 

155 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

"Tell  the  boys  to  drink  water."  Such  a 
warning  should  be  placed  upon  the  walls  of 
every  household,  so  that  the  meaning  of  it 
would  seek  deep  into  the  minds  of  the 
young. 

Of  course  I  consider  it  somcAvhat  out  of 
place  that  I  should  offer  an  excuse  for  mak- 
ing a  fool  of  myself.  A  man  is  generally 
looked  down  upon  for  tr^'iug  to  apologize 
for  something  for  which  he  is  more  to  blame 
than  anyone  else.  When  a  man  goes  into  a 
thing  with  his  eyes  open,  generally  he  cuts 
a  poor  figure  when  he  adopts  the  excuse  that 
someone  else  is  responsible  for  his  condition. 
But  when  I  started  out  I  was  new  to  the 
world  with  which  I  was  to  mingle.  My  early 
life  had  been  surrounded  by  good  Christian 
influences,  and  my  footsteps  guarded  as 
carefully  by  my  good  Christian  guardian  as 
though  I  had  been  of  her  own  flesh  and 
blood.  I  loved  my  wife,  I  loved  my  boy,  and 
yet  I  went  the  "pace  that  kills." 

Already  I  have  given  some  idea  of  the 
crowd  that  surrounded  me  in  my  Philadel- 
phia life.  Some  names  I  have  not  men- 
tioned, but  it  is  because  I  have  forgotten 
them.    All  I  can  recall  is  that  they  swore 

156 


COAL   OIL  JOHXNV—HIS  BOOK. 

eternal  fealty  and  friendship,  clung  to  me 
while  mj'  money  lasted,  and  forsook  me  when 
it  was  gone.  These  men  were  gamblers, 
men-about-town,  actors,  youths  whom  riches 
had  pampered  into  a  condition  to  make  my 
kind  of  life  attractive  to  them ;  business  men 
whose  motives  were  not  of  the  best,  and  who 
should  be  classed  Avith  the  sharpers  whose 
methods  were  not  always  apparent  to  me 
because  of  my  condition.  Such  was  the  fol- 
lowing of  courtiers  who  attended  me, 
laughed  when  I  laughed,  drank  when  I 
drank,  and  at  my  expense;  and  by  them  I 
was  flattered  and  fleeced.  The  pedestal 
upon  which  they  placed  me  Avas  so  high  tliat 
I  seemed  to  look  down  into  their  expectant 
eyes  and  read  in  them  admiration  for  my 
brightness,  and  I  scattered  favors  in  profu- 
sion. It  was  my  prominence  upon  this  ped- 
estal also  which  made  me  such  an  easy 
mark. 

While  in  this  delirium  rumors  reached  me 
that  all  was  not  well  at  home.  Wickham, 
someone  informed  me,  had  not  been  doing 
right.  To  these  things  I  paid  but  little  at- 
tention, and  continued  on  my  giddy  career. 
At  the  end  of  six  months,  I  foolishly  argued, 

157 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  would  be  able  to  make  clear  title  to  the 
property,  and  great  wealth  would  be  mine. 
So  dull  care  was  driven  away,  and  I  kept 
sailing  along  the  same  old  rapids. 

One  day,  in  the  midst  of  the  wild  delirium, 
a  missive  was  handed  me  by  the  hotel  clerk, 
from  W.  A.  Galbraith,  which  read  that 
Wickham  had  given  up  the  farm  and  James 
A.  Mackey  had  been  placed  in  charge  as  my 
agent.  More  than  a  million  dollars  gone  in 
one  dash !  I  tried  to  realize  it  all.  The  for- 
tune on  which  I  had  been  staking  everything 
had  disappeared  like  a  flash.  I  called  Slo- 
cum  to  me — Slocum  to  whom  in  some  wild 
drunken  freak  I  had  entrusted  all;  Slocum, 
who  had  always  pretended  to  be  my  friend, 
and  was  friendly  as  long  as  I  gave  him 
money  to  spend.  I  needed  his  sympathy, 
and  thought  I  had  some  right  to  it,  but  he 
had  no  sympathy  or  advice  for  me.  He 
seemed  willing  to  desert  the  ship.  For  the 
first  time  in  a  considerable  period  I  became 
strictly  sober,  and  for  the  first  time  in  many, 
many  da^^s  I  thought  of  friends  back  home, 
of  my  good  wife,  who  was  now  weighted 
with  grief  for  me,  and  now  had  to  confront 
this  additional  misfortune ;  and,  for  the  first 

158 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

time  in  my  career  of  dissiipation  I  did  the 
manly  and  upright  thing — I  went  to  those 
who  needed  me. 

At  home  I  found  things  practically  as 
they  had  been  represented.  Matters  too  long 
neglected  had  gone  from  bad  to  worse 
through  the  machinations  of  those  who  had 
taken  advantage  of  my  weakness.  Looking 
at  it  in  any  way  I  could,  the  future  seemed 
gloomy  and  dark.  The  farm,  it  is  true,  was 
left,  but  black  clouds  were  hovering  over  it, 
and  laden  so  heavily  that,  when  the  storm 
broke,  it  engulfed  all. 

Having  now  an  occasional  sober  moment, 
I  began  to  see  Slocum  in  a  different  light, 
and  I  resolved  to  be  rid  of  him  and  Phila- 
delphia at  the  same  time.  I  shook  the  city 
first,  however,  reasoning  that  the  only  just 
and  manly  thing  to  do  was  to  go  back  to  the 
oil  regions  and  save  what  could  be  saved 
from  the  wreck.  Before  leaving  Philadel- 
phia I  did  something  which  has  gained  for 
me  a  great  deal  of  notoriety,  and  has  been 
magnified  so  much  that  it  has  been  told  as 
happening  in  a  number  of  cities,  and  in  a 
manner  which  best  suited  the  imagination 
of  the  writers  who  treated  of  the  occurrence. 

159 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  owed  to  the  man  who  had  the  stable  where 
I  kept  my  team  and  carriage  and  who  acted 
as  my  driver,  as  well  as  my  "chaperone"  on 
certain  state  occasions,  a  nice  little  bill  for 
his  services.  Having  no  money  to  give  him, 
and  feeling  under  obligations  to  him  for  his 
arduous  and  faithful  attention,  I  concluded 
to  turn  the  horses,  carriage,  with  its  "coat- 
of-arms"  and  all,  over  to  him,  and  did  so 
before  I  bade  him  farewell.  I  regretted  I 
could  not  pay  my  other  bills  as  easily  as  I 
did  this  one.  That  action  led  to  many  out- 
landish and  exaggerated  stories,  which  have 
had  a  tendency  to  lead  readers  to  the  con- 
clusion that  I  gave  away  a  team  of  horses 
and  a  carriage  as  a  regular  daily  recreation. 
My  back  was  now  turned  upon  Philadel- 
phia. My  friends,  the  courtiers  of  my  flush 
days,  had  forsaken  me,  and  were  seeking 
pastures  new.  My  face  was  turned  to  the 
future,  and  the  world  looked  cold  enough.  I 
was  forsaken  by  all  but  one,  and  although 
she  had  been  made  to  suffer  more  than  all 
because  of  my  misdeeds,  she  still  believed 
in  me  and  had  faith  that  I  w^ould  yet  come 
out  all  right,  and  prove  myself  a  man. 


J  60 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Two  incidents  of  my  brief  and  meteoric 
career  have  been  touched  upon  in  various 
newspaper  articles  meant  to  set  forth  some 
of  my  foolishness  while  I  was  playing  the 
character  of  the  champion  spendthrift  of  the 
oil  regions,  and  which  had  some,  but  exceed- 
ingly slight,  foundations  of  truth. 

If  some  accounts  are  to  be  believed,  I 
spent  a  large  portion  of  my  wealth  and  the 
major  portion  of  my  time  in  giving  banquets 
to  my  friends.  It  is  quite  true  that  often  at 
the  Girard  House  I  treated  a  friend  to  a 
dinner  at  my  table,  where  I  always  dis- 
played a  great  profusion  of  liberality,  tipped 
the  waiters  up  to  the  limit,  and  made  them 
my  staunch  and  steadfast  friends;  and 
therefore  it  is  quite  probable  secured  many 
delicacies  from  the  kitchen  which  many  a 
more  deserving  boarder  did  not  get.  But 
the  only  real  banquet  which  I  ever  backed 
financially  was  one  that  Slocum  and  I  gave 
to  our  minstrel  friends  of  the  silent-dividend 
company  of  Skiff  and  Gaylord.    At  one  time 

i6i 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

my  companion  and  myself,  being  in  New 
York  on  one  of  our  excursions,  heard  that 
the  merry  crew  was  to  play  at  Ithaca,  New 
York,  on  a  certain  date,  and  we  went  up 
there,  incidentally  to  gaze  upon  our  invest- 
ment, but  more  particularly  to  have  a  high 
old  time.  And  we  had  it.  We  received  a 
cordial  greeting  from  our  old  friends  of  the 
burnt  cork,  and  my  gratitude  for  the  same 
swelled  to  such  proportions  that  I  resolved 
to  even  up  in  some  way.  Possibly  I  argued 
that  some  day  I  would  get  it  all  back  in  divi- 
dends; but  then,  what  was  the  matter  of  a 
few  hundred  dollars  between  friends.  So  I 
arranged  with  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  to 
set  a  banquet,  to  be  pulled  off  after  the 
show.  It  was  a  complete  success.  Beyond 
that  I  hardly  recollect,  and  to  describe  the 
details  of  the  feast  is  beyond  me.  Neither 
could  I  have  described  them  accurately  the 
next  morning.  I  remember  that  someone 
nominated  me  for  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  I  accepted  the  nomination. 
Also  I  recall  the  fact  of  a  biscuit  hitting  a 
merry  minstrel  man  in  the  eye;  also  that 
some  of  the  delegates  went  to  sleep  under 
the  table.    Tax  my  memory  as  I  may  I  have 

162 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

no  recollection  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
nominee  for  the  presidency  made  his  way 
from  the  banquet  hall  to  his  downy  couch ; 
but  I  do  recall  that  the  state  of  his  feelings 
the  next  morning  called  for  ice  water  in 
large  doses.  That  was  the  only  real,  true 
banquet  I  ever  gave.  I  think  that  was 
enough.  From  current  report  some  people 
were  led  to  believe  that  I  spent  most  of  my 
time  in  stocking  special  trains  with  drink- 
ables, eatables,  cigars,  et  cetera,  and  trav- 
eling with  my  friends  about  the  country. 
This  would  doubtless  have  produced  a  lot  of 
enjoyment,  but  I  got  mine  in  other  ways. 

The  only  special  train  I  ever  hired  to  run 
for  me  was  not  a  train,  but  that  essential 
portion  thereof  known  as  the  engine.  On 
one  of  our  trips  to  the  oil  regions,  Slocum 
and  I  decided  to  go  to  Erie,  his  home.  Fol- 
lowing a  custom  which  he  had  acquired,  we 
alighted  from  the  train  at  a  certain  station 
to  get  a  drink.  We  became  so  engrossed 
that  the  train,  very  inconsiderately,  pulled 
out  without  us.  This  we  considered  as  treat- 
ment entirely  out  of  proportion  to  our  rank, 
and  we  became  somewhat  indignant,  and 
wanted  everyone  to  know  that  we  were  not 
163 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

accustomed  to  such  slights,  and  that  a  rail- 
road or  two  was  the  most  insignificant  of  all 
our  possessions.  In  an  effort  to  pacify  our 
wounded  feelings,  the  railroad  people 
agreed  to  give  us  a  special  engine  for  the 
sum  of  fifty  dollars  and  catch  the  train  for 
us,  which  they  would  hold  up  for  ten  min- 
utes at  one  of  the  stations  ahead.  They  got 
the  fifty,  and  got  us  to  the  train,  where  we 
arrived  scared  nearly  sober  and  full  of  cin- 
ders. And  that  was  the  only  excursion  I 
ever  backed  in  my  life. 

Having  now  bumped  up  against  a  great 
heap  of  adversity,  as  I  have  observed,  I 
shook  the  soil  of  Philadelphia  from  my  soles 
and  started  for  the  oil  regions.  Seth  Slo- 
cum  went  with  me.  He  had  never  left  me 
from  the  first  moment  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted. He  did  not  wish  anyone  to  have 
a  share  of  my  wealth  while  he  was  on  earth, 
and  scarcely  anyone  did,  especially  of  the 
gilded  circle,  unless  he  himself  was  also  a 
beneficiary.  He  clung  to  me  closer  than  a 
brother  could  or  would  have  done,  and 
would  have  so  clung  to  his  dying  day,  no 
doubt,  had  my  money  held  out.  But  on  my 
last  trip  from  Philadelphia  I  did  something 

164 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

that  I  bad  not  been  indulging  in  theretofore, 
namely,  I  began  to  think;  and  the  more  I 
thought  the  more  I  became  impressed  with 
the  idea  if  ever  I  was  to  amount  to  anything 
in  the  world,  which  I  very  much  doubted, 
I  must  rid  myself  of  Slocum.  Every  man  is 
to  a  large  extent  wliat  he  makes  of  himself, 
and,  therefore,  to  a  large  extent  should  be 
held  responsible.  But  I  was  confident  that 
the  influence  which  Slocum  had  exerted  over 
me  had  not  been  beneficial,  and  I  could  see 
no  good  which  could  come  to  me  by  keeping 
him  on  my  staff.  Therefore,  I  resolved  to  be 
rid  of  him  as  soon  as  I  arrived  home.  I  will 
give  the  fellow  credit,  however,  for  having 
a  liking  for  me,  but  whether  this  was  on  ac- 
count of  any  special  characteristic  beyond 
a  willingness  to  part  with  my  money  to  him, 
I  do  not  know.  But  now  my  sober  reflection 
told  me  that  to  get  rid  of  him  was  the  best 
thing  I  could  do.  I  wanted  to  gain  a  foot- 
hold in  the  world  somehow,  and  did  not 
fancy  the  idea  of  being  tripped  up  in  so 
doing. 

Therefore,  when  we  arrived  in  Franklin  I 
informed  Slocum  that  our  partnership  must 
be  dissolved.     For  a  moment  he  seemed  to 

165 


COAL   OIL   JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

think  I  was  joking,  but  I  soon  convinced 
him,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  of  my  earn- 
estness, for  I  informed  him  that  a  memory 
of  him  would  be  more  preferable  than  his 
presence;  that  no  matter  where  he  went, 
there  I  would  not  follow,  and  I  did  not  in- 
tend he  should  follow  me.  He  seemed  dazed 
and  bewildered  at  this  statement  of  my  in- 
tentions, or  possibly  at  my  firmness,  as  this 
was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  shown  any  to- 
wards him,  and  for  the  first  time  in  our  ex- 
perience positions  were  reversed,  and  I  was 
dictating  terms  to  him.  He  begged,  he  en- 
treated, he  supplicated,  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. My  mind  was  made  up,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life  I  felt  the  satisfaction 
which  comes  to  one  when  he  succeeds  in 
casting  a  baneful  influence  aside.  The  air  I 
breathed  seemed  clearer,  and  more  than 
that,  I  had  the  pleasant  realization  that  I 
could  assert  myself  on  occasions  if  I  wanted 
to,  and  take  on  some  of  the  slight  attributes 
of  manhood. 

When  Slocum  was  spending  my  money, 
when  he  was  surrounded  by  flatterers  and 
fawners,  and  playing  the  role  of  a  blustering 
spendthrift,  he  was  the  opposite  of  the  man 

166 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

who  on  this  day  of  parting  pleaded  with  me 
for  mercy  and  forgiveness.  And  even  then 
I  listened  to  his  entreaty  that  he  was  a  phy- 
sical as  well  as  a  financial  wreck,  and  gave 
to  him  two  notes  of  twenty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars each,  he  thinking  that  he  might  get 
something  for  them.  And  he  did,  for  he  sold 
the  notes  to  John  C.  Porter,  of  Meadville, 
and  they  were  afterwards  entered  against 
what  was  left  of  my  property. 

I  had  given  Slocum  everything  he  had 
ever  asked  me ;  had  never  refused  him  a  fav- 
or. His  will  power  seemed  stronger  than 
mine,  and  the  foregoing  proves  that  I  had 
not  yet  gotten  wholly  rid  of  his  influence. 
But  after  this  transaction  Seth  Slocum  went 
out  of  my  life,  and  I  breathed  freer.  I  never 
saw  him  after  that.  He  died  in  about  two 
years  after  the  time  I  parted  from  him. 
During  his  final  illness  he  sent  word  that  he 
wanted  to  see  me,  but  I  did  not  go  to  him. 
If  he  wanted  to  explain  anything,  it  was  not 
necessary.  He  may  have  wanted  forgive- 
ness.. He  has  that  anyway.  I  will  not  say 
that  I  was  not  as  much  to  blame  as  Seth  Slo- 
cum ever  was. 

With    several    hundred    dollars    in    my 

167 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

pocket,  I  started  out.  First  I  went  to 
Rouseville  and  took  a  look  over  the  old 
place.  Then  I  went  up  to  visit  Petroleum 
Center,  which  at  that  time  was  in  its  "glory" 
as  one  of  the  toughest  places  on  the  foot- 
stool. And  so  I  was  again  back  in  the  old 
Oil  Creek  valley,  but  not  at  this  time  play- 
ing the  character  of  the  bedangled,  diamond- 
bedecked  "Coal-Oil  Johnny"  of  yore,  but 
practically  stranded,  estranged  from  my 
friends  of  former  days,  with  plenty  of  peo- 
ple around  to  whom  I  could  speak,  but  none 
who  would  advise  or  who  offered  to  extend 
a  helping  hand.  Now  that  I  was  down  and 
comparatively  penniless,  no  one  fawned 
upon  me.  To  all  intents  and  purposes  I  was 
practically  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  One  time  I  went  back  to  the  old 
church  up  there  in  the  woods  of  Oakland 
township.  Memories  came  to  me  of  a  bare- 
foot, happy  boy,  of  the  honest,  open-hearted 
neighbors,  and  of  the  good  old  people  who 
had  guided  my  youthful  footsteps  and  tried 
to  start  me  right  in  the  world.  It  seemed  to 
me  as  though  I  was  driven  instinctively  to 
the  old  church  to  pay  a  pennance,  to  give 
away  to  bitter  feelings,  to  confess  that  I  had 

i68 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

not  livGd  as  I  should  have  lived,  and  ask  for- 
giveness. The  regrets  which  came  to  me  at 
certain  times  I  can  never  express.  I  real- 
ized that  the  life  I  had  been  living  was  but 
a  rope  of  sand,  and  the  problem  set  me  for 
the  future  was  one  which  I  hardly  dared  to 
solve.  Fully  realizing  that  drink  had  been 
the  principal  cause  of  my  undoing,  I  made 
many  a  fight  against  it.  and  many  times  I 
lost  before  I  conquered. 

As  I  have  stated,  I  visited  Petroleum  Cen- 
ter. Like  all  the  early  oil  towns,  it  had  been 
built  in  a  hurry,  and  possessed  board  shan- 
ties, hotels,  places  of  amusement,  and  mud- 
dy streets.  But  for  pure,  unadulterated 
wickedness  it  eclipsed  any  town  I  had  ever 
favored  with  my  presence,  and  I  had  wit- 
nessed the  seamy  side  of  life  in  many  cities. 
For  open,  flaunted  vice  and  sin  it  laid  over 
any  other  on  the  map.  There  was  no  city 
government,  thugs  carried  matters  with  a 
high  hand ;  resorts  of  a  disreputable  charac- 
ter flourished  openly,  and  the  unwary  were 
fleeced  right  and  left.  The  scenes  enacted 
caused  even  old  "rounders"  to  blush.  It  was 
not  safe  for  a  man  to  walk  the  streets  at 
night  alone.    Sandbagging  seemed  to  be  a 

169 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

regularly  recognized  occupation,  and  mur- 
der quite  an  occasional  one.  Gambling  did 
not  run  behind  closed  doors,  and  thousands 
of  dollars  changed  hands  over  the  green 
cloth.  Pleased  to  get  away  with  my  life,  I 
went  to  Titusville,  which  was  a  lively,  bust- 
ling town,  which  a  capable  municipal 
government  had  transformed  into  a  place 
where,  comparatively,  law  and  order  were 
not  at  a  discount. 

Speaking  of  oil  towns,  one  must  justly 
mention  Rouseville,  a  place  which  had 
grown  up  on  the  old  Buchanan  farm,  almost 
opposite  my  old  farm.  There  was  no  settle- 
ment there  when  oil  was  first  discovered 
along  the  creek,  but  now  it  was  a  bustling 
place,  containing  one  or  two  good  hotels,  a 
theatre,  several  churches,  and  a  lot  of  in- 
habitants of  that  busy,  cheery,  hospitable 
kind  so  characteristic  of  the  oil  country 
then  as  now.  To-day  Eouseville  retains 
more  of  the  typical  architecture  of  the  early 
oil  region  times  than  any  other  place  along 
Oil  Creek,  and  like  all  other  towns  has  had 
its  tragedies  and  comedies  incident  to  the 
excitement  attending  the  surging  rush  for 
wealth  in  the  oil  country.    The  burning  of 

170 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

the  well,  where  Henry  R.  Rouse  and  many 
others  met  their  death  was  a  scene  which  I 
witnessed. 

Leaving  Titusville,  I  turned  my  steps  to- 
ward the  west,  hoping,  as  many  pilgrims  be- 
fore me,  that  fortune  would  at  last  smile 
upon  me. 


i7I 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

From  Titusville  I  went  to  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  While  there  I  stopped  at  the  Wed- 
dell  House,  and  on  the  evening  of  my  arrival 
visited  the  theatre.  Somehow  it  became 
known  to  a  few  that  I  was  in  the  city,  and  I 
was  gaped  at  by  curious  individuals,  and  re- 
marks reached  my  ears  which  were  not  in- 
tended for  me  to  hear.  On  my  way  back  to 
the  hotel  after  the  performance  at  the  thea- 
tre, I  became  suspicious  of  the  actions  of 
two  men,  thinking  they  had  laid  a  conspir- 
acy to  part  me  from  my  money.  However, 
I  was  not  feeling  in  a  mood  to  be  sandbagged 
and  spirited  up  some  dark  alley  for  the  edi- 
fication of  a  couple  of  crooks.  What  money 
I  had  with  me  I  needed  worse  than  I  ever 
needed  money  before.  So  I  took  the  middle 
of  the  street.  They  did  not  follow  me  there, 
and  I  arrived  at  the  hotel  without  molesta- 
tion. This  was  the  nearest  I  ever  came  to 
being  robbed  in  the  old-fashioned,  approved 
way,  and  that  may  not  have  been  as  near  as 
I  mistrusted.    To  being  robbed  in  the  more 

173 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

genteel  fashion  I  had  not  objected  strenuous- 
ly; but  I  did  not  wish  to  welcome  any  new 
departures.  Having  received  in  my  brief  ca- 
reer more  notoriety  than  I  ever  desired,  my 
inclination  now  was  to  seek  rest  and  quiet, 
to  get  into  places  where  I  was  not  known, 
and  procure  some  honest  employment  by 
which  to  live.  But  go  where  I  would,  it 
seemed  that  my  record  had  preceded  me, 
with  the  result  that  soon  after  arrival  I 
would  become  surrounded  by  what  to  me  at 
this  time  was  an  undesirable  crowd  of  cur- 
iosity-mongers, who,  whatever  their  inten- 
tion, made  my  life  a  burden.  Then  I  would 
move  on  to  some  other  place,  wishing  for 
peace  and  quiet,  with  the  usual  result  of 
being  driven  out.  My  nervous  system  was 
rendered  more  sensitive  by  articles  which 
would  appear  in  the  newspapers,  and  they 
put  me  in  bad  temper.  My  attempted  refuta- 
tions would  not  appear  in  print;  so  I 
stopped  saying  anything  about  myself,  har- 
bored bitter  thoughts,  kept  on  retreating, 
and  came  to  regard  humanity  in  general  as 
my  bitter  enemy. 

I  went  over  to  Buffalo  from  Cleveland, 
and  ran  into  a  coterie   of  friends  who  had 

174 


I,iih'\jiffei,  I  "ii.a  m  •■■■ 


■W  ■  I/'   M 


"  Coal  Oil  Johnny  "  standing  at  the  site  of 

THE    FAMOUS    HaMMOND    WELL. 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

known  me  when  1  was  on  the  ''firing  line/' 
and  who  insisted  on  making  my  stay  pleas- 
ant and  agreeable  according  to  their  ideas.  I 
stood  them  ott'  temporarily,  and  in  the  night- 
time I  skipped.  I  stopped  in  many  places 
after  leaving  the  Bison  City,  but  a  short 
time  thereafter  I  found  myself  in  Kansas 
City,  looking  for  work,  being  really  desirous 
of  securing  any  honest  occupation  which 
would  enable  me  to  forget  myself  and  be- 
come contented  and  happy  once  again.  Cer- 
tainly I  thought  this  a  worthy  ambition,  but 
no  one  seemed  to  care  to  share  it  with  me, 
and  often  I  became  despondent ;  yet  1  never 
reached  that  stage  of  insanity  which 
brought  me  to  a  contemplation  of  suicide. 
What  was  of  no  account  in  this  w^orld  would 
stand  a  mightly  poor  show  in  the  next,  I  ar- 
gued, and  if  the  world  would  try  and  put  up 
with  me  I  would  do  my  level  best  to  get 
along  on  the  best  terms  I  could  with  it.  My 
mind  at  this  time,  too,  often  reverted  to  the 
happy  days  of  the  home  on  Oil  Creek,  and  to 
the  folks  up  there.  Then  would  follow  the 
thought  of  how  things  were  instead  of  what 
they  might  have  been,  of  the  wreck  which 
had    followed    my   wake   instead   of   what 

175 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

might  have  been  there ;  and  at  these  times  I 
did  what  many  another  fool  has  done,  par- 
took of  the  cup  that  cheers,  but  which  too 
often  inebriates. 

On  the  first  morning  after  my  arrival  at 
Kansas  City  I  started  out  for  a  walk,  wish- 
ing to  see  some  familiar  face  or  hear  the 
voice  of  a  friend,  when  someone  behind  me 
remarked : 

"Well,  I'll  be  darned." 

"Well,  I'll  bet  it  isn't,"  chimed  in  another. 

"Take  your  bet,"  argued  the  first  voice. 

I  turned  around  and  bumped  right  into 
my  old  minstrel  friends  and  partners.  Skiff 
and  Gaylord. 

I  was  as  glad  to  see  them  as  a  hungry  man 
is  to  eat.  At  that  particular  moment  I  real- 
ized how  the  Israelites  felt  when  they 
clapped  their  eyes  on  the  promised  land.  I 
stood  there  and  shook  their  hands,  we 
hugged  each  other,  and  raised  high  jinks, 
much  to  the  edification  of  the  onlookers. 

My  friends  had  heard  of  my  misfortunes 
and  now  expressed  genuine  sympathy,  the 
first  I  had  listened  to  since  the  collapse. 
Their  show  was  playing  in  the  city  at  the 
time,  and  I  found  I  was  being  advertised  on 

176 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

the  same  old  bills  which  I  had  paid  for  back 
in  Philadelphia.  To  myself  I  argued  that  I 
was  just  as  much  a  proprietor  of  the  aggre- 
gation as  I  ever  had  been,  and,  therefore, 
when  Skiff  said,  "Johnny,  you  have  been  a 
good  friend  to  us.  Come  along  and  travel 
with  the  show,"  the  sun  came  out  brighter 
than  it  had  for  a  long  time.  We  did  not 
stick  upon  terms.  My  expenses  were  to  be 
paid,  and  I  was  to  take  or  sell  tickets. 

So  again  I  was  embarked  upon  a  minstrel 
career,  this  time,  however,  destined  to  last 
much  longer  than  my  previous  one.  While 
I  had  up  to  this  time  argued  that  the  returns 
from  my  investment  in  minstrelsy  had  not 
been  adequate  for  the  money  expended, 
never  having  received  a  cent,  it  now  seemed 
to  me  that  I  was  being  generously  compen- 
sated. To  travel  with  a  crowd  of  congenial 
companions,  with  the  assurance  of  a  good 
living,  at  least,  during  the  winter,  was  cer- 
tainly preferable  to  traveling  alone  when  all 
ahead  was  uncertainty. 

We  visited  many  of  the  principal  western 
cities,  among  them  Chicago,  but  while  there 
I  never  tried  to  buy  an  opera  house  for  a 
benefit  performance,  as  reported.    The  show 

177 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

finally  worked  its  way  over  into  Canada, 
where  we  played  in  the  leading  towns,  in- 
cluding the  cities  of  Toronto  and  Montreal. 
I  was  the  "freak"  of  the  aggregation,  of 
course,  and  "Coal-Oil  Johnny"  was  pointed 
out  and  stared  at  all  along  the  line,  for 
which  I  always  held  the  advance  agent 
largely  responsible.  I  controlled  my  nat- 
ural feeling  of  resentment  on  the  ground 
that  if  it  helped  the  show,  it  was  all  right. 
When  with  the  minstrel  company  I  did  not 
object  to  being  pointed  out  so  strongly  as 
when  traveling  by  myself,  as  with  the  com- 
pany one  was  more  or  less  in  "the  public 
eye"  anyway,  and  therefore  felt  that  some- 
thing was  due  to  the  public  for  the  privilege 
of  living  at  its  expense. 

Leaving  Canada,  we  went  over  into  New 
York  State,  crossing  at  Ogdensburg,  and 
played  in  a  number  of  towns  in  the  eastern 
and  central  portions  of  the  State.  Thence 
we  traveled  up  into  Maine,  and  down 
through  a  goodly  portion  of  New  England. 
"Is  that  Coal-Oil  Johnny?  Wal,  I  swan!" 
was  a  common  remark  during  this  portion  of 
our  tour.  Among  a  certain  type  of  the  New 
Englanderthis  expression  never  varied  more 

178 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

than  a  word  or  two,  and  seemed  as  typical 
of  the  country  as  the  rock-bound  coasts  and 
granite  mountains. 

I  liked  the  New  England  people.  There 
are  many  different  types,  generous,  shrewd, 
and  all  hospitable.  There  is  a  quaintness  in 
the  speech  of  the  rural  type  which  attracts 
the  stranger,  and  is  as  distinctive  as  the 
dialect  of  the  South.  And  I  could  not  help 
contrasting  the  solid  New  England  yeo- 
manry with  the  inhabitants  of  the  old  Oil 
Creek  valley  before  the  oil  excitement  dis- 
turbed them. 

There  was  one  individual  in  New  England 
whom  I  did  not  like,  and  I  ran  across  him 
several  times  in  my  capacity  as  ticket  gath- 
erer for  the  show.  He  was  the  fellow  who 
tried  to  beat  down  the  price  of  admission. 
To  have  reduced  the  tariff  one  cent  would 
have  afforded  him  unbounded  satisfaction. 
This  particular  individual  is  the  one  who 
gives  New  England  people  a  reputation  for 
closeness  and  parsimony  which  is  unde- 
served. 

However,  one  day  during  the  trip  through 
New  England  I  received  a  letter  asking  me 
to  come  home  and  begin  to  live  over  again, 

179 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

and  show  to  my  friends  that  I  could  be  a 
man.  After  one  has  kept  away  from  the 
home  folks  as  long  as  I  had,  and  dreads  to 
go  back  because  of  a  realizing  sense  of  the 
injuries  he  has  wrought  to  their  feelings  by 
reason  of  the  disgrace  which  he  has  brought 
upon  them,  and  therefore  has  come  to  believe 
that  home-ties  are  broken  beyond  repair, 
such  a  missive  coming  to  him  touches  the 
heart.  I  had  left  home  discouraged,  filled 
with  a  thousand  regrets,  and  surrounded  by 
circumstances  which  brought  to  me  a  feel- 
ing that  I  had  forfeited  all  the  friends  that 
I  had  ever  possessed  back  there.  As  a  con- 
sequence I  had  gone  out  into  the  world,  cast 
my  lot  among  strangers  in  order  to,  if  pos- 
sible, forget.  Many  times  in  my  wanderings 
I  had  felt  that  I  must  certainly  have  been 
obliterated,  and  perhaps  justly,  from  the 
thoughts  of  those  who  held  the  warmest 
place  in  my  memory.  Then  regrets  would 
overwhelm  me,  and  I  would  go  forward  in  a 
careless,  reckless  way,  hoping  to  banish  all 
such  thoughts  from  my  mind,  for  they  were 
as  so  many  evil  spirits,  disturbing  my  sleep- 
ing and  waking  hours.  I  had  received  two 
or  three  messages  from  home  urging  me  to 

i8o 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

lead  a  better  life;  and  this  I  was  earnestly 
trying  to  do ;  and  while  my  efforts  were  not 
what  they  should  have  been,  yet  ray  life  was 
one  of  complete  sobriety  and  upright  living 
in  comparison  with  my  record  in  the  old 
Philadelphia  days  with  Sloeum. 

An  invitation  to  come  home  was  not  one 
which  I  expected,  and  it  was  some  time  be- 
fore I  could  realize  its  full  meaning.  To  ex- 
pect full  forgiveness  by  those  I  loved,  and  a 
complete  restoration  of  their  friendship  was 
something  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  real- 
ize, so  little  did  I  consider  I  deserved  such 
recognition.    But  here  was  the  invitation. 

I  decided  to  accept  it,  and  told  my  decis- 
ion to  my  minstrel  friends.  The  boys  gath- 
ered around  me  at  the  parting  and  expressed 
true  regret.  We  had  traveled  many  hun- 
dreds of  miles  together,  and  our  minstrel 
family  was  a  happy  one.  And,  with  sadness 
in  my  heart  at  the  parting,  but  with  a  glad 
realization  that  I  was  going  home,  I  bade 
farewell  to  that  happy,  genial,  merry  min- 
strel crowd  forever.  Most  of  the  boys  have 
passed  over  the  Great  Divide,  and  their 
laughter  hushed  forever  from  the  ears  of 
men.    Some  of  them  are  still  in  the  land  of 

i8i 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

the  living,  and  if  any  of  them  read  this  page 
I  want  them  to  understand  that  I  still  pos- 
sess a  fond  remembrance  of  those  old  days 
of  1866  and  1867,  when  we  joked  and 
laughed  as  we  "traveled  the  world  to- 
gether." 

While  I  left  the  boys  back  there  in  New 
England  with  feelings  of  sorrow,  I  was  hap- 
py in  the  fact  that,  after  all  I  had  done, 
after  all  that  had  been  said,  after  all  the 
heart-pangs  and  the  heart-burnings,  for- 
giveness was  written  over  the  threshold, 
and  I  was  going  home. 


182 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

When  I  arrived  in  the  Oil  Creek  valley  I 
went  first  to  the  house  of  my  brother-in-law, 
who  was  living  on  the  old  farm  in  a  new 
dwelling  which  had  been  erected  there,  near 
the  old  McClintock  house  where  my  boyhood 
daj's  had  been  spent.  My  father-in-law,  at 
whose  house  my  wife  and  boy  were  stopping, 
was  living  at  Dempseytown,  Venango 
County,  several  miles  from  our  old  home.  I 
at  first  hesitated  about  going  there,  fearing 
I  would  not  be  welcome;  then  I  reflected  that 
the  letter  asking  me  to  come  was  in  my 
pocket.  However,  before  I  started,  they 
heard  I  was  back  at  the  old  place  and  I  re- 
ceived a  cordial  invitation  to  come. 

I  can  never  forget  my  feelings  as  I  ap- 
proached the  house.  They  were  of  doubt, 
mingled  with  glad  expectation  of  seeing 
those  whom  I  loved,  and  yet  whom  I  felt  I 
had  so  heartlessly  and  thoughtlessly  neg- 
lected. Finally  I  mustered  up  courage  suflfl- 
cient  to  knock  at  the  door.  It  was  opened 
by  Mr.  Moffitt,  who  gave  me  a  cordial  hand- 

183 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

clasp,  and  asked  me  to  walk  in.  And  inside 
was  my  good  wife  and  mother,  with  tears  in 
their  eyes,  and  too,  there  was  the  lively 
youngster  of  a  boy  who  jumped  around  and 
clapped  his  hands  with  delight.  Figurative- 
ly, the  fatted  calf  was  killed  for  the  return- 
ing and  foolish  prodigal.  There  was  no  Avord 
of  reproach,  no  word  of  regret  from  that 
family  circle.  My  welcome  was  true  and 
hearty  and  implied  that  I  Avas  to  be  consid- 
ered in  the  future,  if  I  so  desired,  as  one  of 
the  household.  In  other  words,  I  Avas  "re- 
turned and  no  questions  asked." 

When  one  has  gone  Avrong,  and  his  con- 
science rises  in  reproof  at  the  wrong-doing, 
as  mine  had  often  done ;  when  one  has  been 
cast  out  upon  the  world  and  brings  himself 
to  the  thought  that  those  who  loved  him  at 
one  time  will,  or  should,  knoAV  him  no  more ; 
until  such  a  time  and  then  only  Avill  he  enjoy 
to  the  fullest  extent  being  again  with  those 
whom  he  loA^es,  and  appreciate  the  full  for- 
giveness which  can  come  from  kind  and  lov- 
ing hearts.  And  until  such  time  arrives,  he 
cannot  ring  down  the  curtain  over  the  past 
and  look  Avith  complacency  toward  the  fu- 
ture. 

184 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HL"^  BOOK. 

The  kindly  interest  and  good-will  of  other 
friends  gave  me  added  hope,  and  I  felt 
read}'  now  to  go  out  and  battle  with  the 
world  in  earnest.  The  happiest  moments  of 
my  life  were  those  that  I  spent  at  this  time, 
as  I  sat  at  the  fireside  with  my  family  and 
friends,  where  full  forgiveness  banished  the 
reproach  which  might  have  justly  been 
given  to  me.  Mrs.  Moffitt  treated  me  as 
kindly  and  lovingly  as  though  I  had  been 
her  son.  I  was  "her  boy,"  as  she  often  ex- 
pressed it ;  and  it  has  always  been  a  gratifi- 
cation to  me  that  in  later  years  it  was  pos- 
sible for  me  to  be  near  her  in  her  final  ill- 
ness, to  make  her  last  hours  happy.  Then 
there  was  my  boy,  a  robust  lad,  with  a  fine 
healthy  interest  in  everything  going  on  in 
the  world,  and  capable  of  asking  more  ques- 
tions than  any  other  youngster  living.  He 
was  glad  to  have  me  home,  too ;  possibly  not 
so  much  because  I  was  his  father  as  that  I 
had  traveled  about  some,  and  could  gratify 
his  curiosity  by  answering  a  part  of  his 
questions,  at  least. 

The  fall  and  winter  of  1867  I  spent  at  my 
father-in-law's.  The  next  spring  he  sold  the 
farm  and  moved  to  one  in  Sugarcreek  town- 

185 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ship,  in  Venango  County,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased. My  wife  gave  me  money  enougli 
with  which  to  purchase  a  team,  and  with  it 
I  assisted  to  move  the  belongings  over  to  the 
new  place,  and  then  assisted  in  the  farming 
operations.  My  brother-in-law  and  I  worked 
hard  and  faithfully,  and  accomplished  a 
great  deal  towards  clearing  land,  and  put- 
ting the  rest  of  it  in  good  and  paying  con- 
dition. 

In  May  of  the  year  1868, 1  took  advantage 
of  the  bankruptcy  law.  Afterwards  I  re- 
gretted many  times  I  did  this,  for  many  rea- 
sons, but  the  action  was  taken  on  the  advice 
of  a  lawyer.  It  placed  me  in  a  position 
where  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  contest 
any  rights  which  I  might  have  considered  I 
still  held  in  the  property.  The  money  repre- 
sented by  the  Philadelphia  judgments  was 
the  only  amount  which  I  honestly  owed. 
Had  I  not  followed  the  lawyer's  advice  it 
might  have  been  possible  for  me  to  have 
proven  the  illegality  of  the  other  judgments, 
have  reopened  the  Philadelphia  judgments, 
and  paid  the  money  owed  to  my  honest 
creditors.  Still,  I  can  truthfully  set  forth 
and   aver   that,   even   in   the   condition   in 

i86 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

which  I  was  now  placed,  I  was  far  happier 
and  better  contented  than  when  engaged  in 
the  gayer  occupation  of  buying  diamonds 
for  ui3'self  and  friends,  and  spending  many 
tliousands. 

It  was  during  the  summer  of  1868  when 
Mrs.  Steele,  with  the  assistance  of  her  fa- 
ther, succeeded  in  collecting  six  thousand 
dollars  for  the  oil  farm  in  the  transaction 
by  which  it  passed  into  the  possession  of 
Taylor,  Mackey  and  Company.  In  the  fall 
of  1868  I  moved  my  family  to  Franklin, 
where  I  went  to  teaming.  At  that  time 
Henry  Cullum,  a  son  of  Horace  Cullum,  the 
gentleman  with  whom  I  had  gone  into  part- 
nership on  the  business  block  venture  in 
Meadville,  Pa.,  was  conducting  a  barrel  fac- 
tory in  Franklin,  in  the  Third  Ward.  About 
the  first  job  of  teaming  I  secured  was  haul- 
ing stave-bolts  for  him,  and  when  the  bill 
amounted  to  about  forty  dollars  he  failed, 
and  1  never  received  a  cent  for  my  work.  Al- 
though the  amount  was  but  "a  drop  in  the 
bucket"  compared  with  the  sums  I  had 
parted  with  in  other  transactions,  I  felt  the 
loss  more  keenly  than  any  I  had  ever  ex- 
perienced. 

187 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

It  was  while  in  Franklin  that  I  joined  the 
Episcopal  church.  The  rector  of  St.  John's 
parish  at  that  time  took  a  kindly  interest  in 
me,  which  he  has  always  retained,  and  for 
which  I  have  always  felt  under  the  deepest 
obligations. 

After  working  in  Franklin  for  a  year  I 
went  to  Rouseville,  in  the  fall  of  1869,  and 
there  for  some  time  followed  the  occupation 
of  teamster,  receiving  good  prices  for  my 
work.  Later  I  was  offered  and  accepted  a 
position  in  the  depot  under  Mr.  E.  A.  Keane, 
who  Avas  agent  there.  My  duties,  for  which 
I  received  sixty  dollars  per  month,  included 
the  handling  of  baggage  and  freight,  and  the 
checking  of  the  latter  in  and  out.  I  re- 
ceived ten  dollars  a  month  more  for  extra 
services,  and  later,  when  the  express  oflSce 
was  put  in  there  I  received  ten  dollars  ad- 
ditional for  assisting  in  that  department.  It 
is  needless  to  say  that  I  was  as  busy  as  the 
traditional  boy  killing  snakes.  With  my  in- 
come I  bought  a  home  nearlj^  opposite  the 
depot.  I  rented  my  team  out.  I  worked  in 
the  oflflce  and  depot  from  six  in  the  morning 
until  eleven  at  night,  sent  my  boy  to  school, 
and  kept  myself  in  a  comparatively  happy 

i88 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

frame  of  mind — happy  because  I  was  win- 
ning my  way  in  the  world,  regaining  tlie  res- 
pect of  my  former  neiglibors  and  friends, 
and  that,  too,  in  sight  of  the  old  farm  across 
the  creek  that  had  been  such  a  factor  in  my 
life. 

As  all  old-timers  will  remember,  the 
Kouseville  station  at  this  time  was  a  busy 
one,  and  Kouseville  itself  a  lively  commun- 
ity. A  train  was  kept  busy  running  between 
that  town  and  Oil  City,  three  miles  below, 
transporting  oil  down  and  bringing  coal 
back.  The  land  around  Kouseville  had 
brought  immense  sums.  Corning  &  Beers 
were  offered  four  millions  of  dollars  for  the 
Smith  farm,  located  up  Cherry  Kun,  which 
they  had  originally  purchased  for  thirty-five 
hundred  dollars  from  a  man  who  had  se- 
cured it  in  a  trade  for  a  yoke  of  oxen.  This 
is  only  given  as  an  example  of  the  numerous 
business  investments  which  surrounded  the 
busy  little  town. 

When  Mr.  Keene,  the  station-agent  at 
Kouseville,  resigned,  he  was  succeeded  by  a 
gentleman  whose  name  I  will  omit,  but  w'ho 
was  known  by  everyone  as  a  ceaseless  prac- 
tical joker,  but  of  the  harmless  kind.     He 

189 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

was  always  causing  uneasiness  in  some 
quarters.  I  recall  that  he  tied  a  cannon  fire- 
cracker under  the  chair  of  a  clerk,  and 
soared  that  individual  heavenward,  and  who 
came  down  cussing  until  the  air  was  blue. 
We  were  afraid  of  answering  his  questions 
for  fear  of  being  "sold."  As  a  consequence 
of  this  tendency  for  joking,  everyone  was 
laying  for  the  station-master.  One  old  fellow 
filled  a  tin  horn  with  fiour,  went  to  the  depot 
and  called  the  agent  to  the  window.  He 
pointed  the  horn  at  him,  but  the  flour  was 
packed  so  tight  that  it  could  not  be  blown 
out.  The  agent  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  reached  doAvn  under  the  window, 
seized  a  small  sack  of  flour,  hit  the  old  gen- 
tleman with  it,  and  sent  him  out  of  the  de- 
pot looking  like  Jack  Frost.  A  book  could 
be  written  of  these  pranks.  They  served  to 
make  our  duties  seem  lighter. 

While  at  Rouseville  I  was  initiated  as  an 
Odd  Fellow,  and  have  always  remained  a 
member  of  that  organization.  I  had  not  lived 
long  in  Rouseville,  however,  before  I  began 
to  receive  extended  mention  once  more  in 
the  newspapers.  They  told  of  how  I  had  re- 
formed, of  things  I  did,  of  things  I  did  not 

190 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

do,   each   article  being   more  exaggerated 
than  the  preceding  one.    It  was  at  this  time 
originated  the  story,  which  gained  wide  cir- 
culation, to  the  effect  that  one  day  when 
upon  one  of  my  sprees  in  Philadelphia,  I 
placed  ten  thousand  dollars  on  deposit  in  a 
certain  bank,  which  fact  I  had  completely 
forgotten  upon  my  return  to  sobriety.  In  later 
years  the  bank  officials  located  me  and  the 
money,  with  interest,  was  turned  over  to  me. 
No  one  could  have  been  more  pleased  than  I 
had  this  been  true,  but,  unfortunately,  it 
was  not.    It  may  have  originated  from  the 
fact  of  my  keeping  a  large  sum  of  money  in 
the  safe  at  the  Girard  House. 

While  living  at  Rouseville   a   gentleman 
came  to  me  and  offered  me  five  thousand  dol- 
lars to  relate  to  him  the  principal  details 
of  my  career  so  that  he  could  write  a  history 
of  it.    This  offer  I  refused,  as  I  refused  all 
others.     I    thought     that     possibly     some 
day    the    public    would      be    allowed    to 
forget    all    about    me;    but    it    never  has, 
and     as     the     years     roll     on     the     ac- 
counts become  more  and  more  exaggerated 
and  I  have  been  compelled  to  get  into  print 
myself  as  a  sort  of  self-protection.    I  refused 
191 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

many  offers  to  exhibit  myself  with  theat- 
rical aggregations.  In  later  years  I  could 
have  received  a  large  amount  for  exhibiting 
myself  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in 
Philadelphia.  I  was  hewing  out  a  new 
course,  breaking  a  fresh  path,  and  saving 
my  money.  Of  course  I  got  chances  to  in- 
vest the  money,  and  I  did.  Mr.  James  Bre- 
din  had  an  oil  lease  at  Bredinsburg  which 
he  thought  unusually  promising  and  wished 
me  to  go  into  partnership  with  him  and  drill 
a  well.  I  put  six  hundred  dollars  into  this 
enterprise,  the  well  proved  dry,  and  thus 
went  a  good  lot  of  money  which  I  had 
worked  long  and  hard  to  accumulate,  and 
demonstrated  that  my  lucky  star  was  not 
getting  in  its  work  at  influencing  my  career 
to  the  fullest  extent.  After  nearly  two  years 
and  a  half  in  the  depot,  feeling  dissatisfied, 
and  wishing  to  fit  myself  for  something  bet- 
ter, I  withdrew  after  a  period  of  the  hardest 
work  I  ever  performed  in  my  life.  But  I 
had  worked  myself  into  the  good  favor  of 
many  people,  and  I  felt  recompensed,  for 
they  were  good  enough  to  come  and  take  me 
by  the  hand  and  make  me  feel  that  I  was,  at 
least,  some  sort  of  a  factor  in  the  world. 

192 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

And  I  can  say  that  during  this  period,  when 
working  seventeen  hours  out  of  every  twen- 
ty-four, leading  a  sober  life,  and  with  wife 
and  boy  happy  on  my  account,  I  first  real- 
ized what  a  pleasure  it  was  to  take  care  of 
myself  and  family. 


193 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Leaving  Rouseville  in  the  fall  of  1873,  I 
went  to  Pittsburgh,  taking  my  family 
with  me,  my  purpose  being  to  try  a  course 
in  the  Iron  City  Business  College,  thinking 
it  would  further  my  chances  of  meeting  with 
success  in  life. 

I  found  IMttsburgh  a  busier  city  than 
when  I  had  visited  it  in  company  with  Mr. 
Haj-es  a  few  years  before,  but,  in  view  of  my 
experiences  in  the  interim,  it  did  not  seem 
as  large.  Nor  did  I  care  so  much  for  riding 
upon  the  street  cars.  However,  I  had  a  boy 
to  whom  this  afforded  much  pleasure,  and  I 
often  accompanied  him.  We  were  in  Pitts- 
burgh for  four  months,  the  time  necessary 
to  complete  the  course  I  was  taking,  and  I 
have  always  believed  I  acquitted  myself 
with  credit  as  a  student.  To  see  a  fellow 
who  had  been  through  the  experiences  I  had, 
calmly  settled  down  to  the  life  of  a  scholar 
even  in  a  business  college,  seemed  almost 
a  paradox  to  some  people.  My  previous  ex- 
perience had  been  chiefly  confined  to  one 

195 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

side  of  the  ledger;  now  I  became  acquainted 
with  the  other  as  well.  I  should  have  done 
this  earlier  in  life. 

We  returned  to  Franklin  in  the  spring  of 
1874.  I  tried  to  secure  a  position,  and  sev- 
eral men  offered  to  assist  me  to  that  end. 
But  I  was  not  successful,  and  became  some- 
what discouraged.  The  little  city  did  not 
offer  as  many  opportunities  for  advance- 
ment then  as  it  does  to-day.  However,  I  did 
make  a  business  move  to  the  extent  of  put- 
ting some  money  in  a  meat  market  with  mj 
brother-in-law,  but  the  venture  did  not  pay, 
and  I  withdrew. 

I  found  the  feeling  of  despondency  creep- 
ing over  me  again.  At  times  everything 
seemed  to  conspire  against  my  getting  a 
foothold.  Surrounding  me,  too,  were  many 
who  were  acquaintances  of  long  standing, 
and  the  invitations  to  drink  became  too  fre- 
quent. So  I  concluded  to  seek  pastures  new 
and  felt  a  deeper  longing  than  ever  to  find 
some  place  where  no  one  knew  of  my  past 
career.  Taking  my  family  with  me,  I  again 
turned  westward.  Before  starting  we  had 
not  fully  determined  upon  our  destination. 
But  one  day  we  left  the  train  at  Denison, 

196 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Iowa,  and  here  I  planted  my  flag  with  the 
resolve  to  go  to  work  at  any  honest  occupa- 
tion I  could  get  which  would  afford  a  living 
for  us. 

Denison  is  the  county  seat  of  Crawford 
County,  Iowa,  and  is  located  between  the 
East  and  West  Boyer  rivers,  at  the  junction 
of  the  two  streams. 

Here  we  found  the  people  warm-hearted 
and  generous,  and,  so  far  as  I  knew,  no  one 
in  the  town  was  aware  of  my  identity  as 
"Coal-Oil  Johnny,"  although  I  went  under 
my  full  name.  We  bought  some  lots,  and 
built  a  house,  went  to  housekeejDing,  and 
then  I  looked  around  for  something  by 
which  to  earn  a  living.  The  first  one  to  of- 
fer me  employment  was  a  ]\Ir.  Homer  Darn- 
ell, who,  as  it  happened,  had  relatives  in 
Franklin,  Pa.  He  employed  many  men,  as 
he  had  a  contract  for  building  bridges  for 
two  counties,  and  he  engaged  me  to  drive  a 
team  and  haul  lumber  for  these  structures. 
I  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  kept  at  this 
occupation  steadily  all  through  the  first 
summer,  and  until  the  cold  weather  came  in 
the  fall. 

I  had  never  since  my  return  to  sober  life 

197 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

enjoyed  myself  so  thoroughly  as  I  did  in  this 
Western  town.  No  one  but  my  family  knew 
my  identity,  or,  if  they  did,  said  nothing 
about  it,  and  I  was  for  a  period  protected 
from  that  prying  curiosity  which  had  al- 
ways been  so  odious  to  me.  Oftentimes  my 
duties  would  take  me  for  miles  over  the 
prairie,  where  there  w^as  not  a  building  or  a 
human  being  in  sight;  and  out  there  in  the 
solitude,  with  nothing  but  the  sky  above  and 
the  ground  beneath,  far  away  from  the  old 
world  I  had  known,  where  no  one  could 
break  in  upon  the  silence  and  burden  my 
mind  with  a  thought  of  the  cares  and 
troubles  of  other  days,  I  felt  that  I  had 
many  blessings  to  be  thankful  for.  My  work 
was  hard,  but  I  liked  it,  and  I  could  contem- 
plate the  future  with  perfect  serenity. 

Of  necessity  our  "gang"  roughed  it  a 
good  deal,  slept  where  night  would  overtake 
us,  and  partook  of  any  kind  of  food  that  was 
presented.  This  was  always  eaten  with  -i 
relish. 

As  I  have  said,  the  people  of  the  town 
were  warm-hearted  and  generous,  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  West.  I  recall  that  Mr.  J. 
Fred  Myers  was  the  editor  of  the  "Review," 

198 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

a  Republican  weekly.  I  want  to  give  him 
full  credit  for  his  kindness  in  an  indirect 
way  to  me ;  for  when  my  identity  afterwards 
became  known,  and  a  new  batch  of  exploits 
appeared  in  the  papers  of  the  larger  cities, 
he  never  reprinted  any  of  them  in  the  pages 
of  his  bright  little  journal.  And  this  was 
done  by  him  without  any  request  upon  my 
part  for  him  so  to  do. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  I  secured  a  position 
as  manager  of  the  grocery  department  in  a 
large  department  store,  an  establishment 
that  sold  everything  that  could  possibly  be 
needed,  from  pins  to  coffins.  One  of  the 
partners  was  an  Englishman,  who  had  come 
to  Denison  to  take  an  interest  in  the  store, 
and  from  the  time  he  became  a  partner  it 
was  a  success.  With  him  came  one  brother, 
and  a  friend  who  held  a  position  as  book- 
keeper in  the  establishment.  I  refer  to  these 
people,  not  only  because  they  were  exceed- 
ingly friendly  to  me,  but  because  they  were 
Episcopalians.  My  wife  and  I  belonging  to 
this  denomination,  our  little  coterie  con- 
cluded it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  build  a 
church  in  which  we  could  worship  accord- 
ing to  our  creed.     Consequently  we  formed 

199 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

a  little  society,  called  upon  other  people 
whom  we  thought  would  be  interested,  and 
some  who  did  not  attend  regularly  any 
church.  We  got  up  a  Sunday  school  and 
gathered  in  all  the  scholars  we  could  find, 
many  of  them  children  who  had  never  at- 
tended such  a  school,  and  made  them  wel- 
come. We  soon  had  a  good  attendance.  The 
ladies  formed  an  Aid  Society,  and  raised 
some  mone}^  in  that  way.  The  work  on  the 
church  was  performed  by  different  individ- 
uals in  the  congregation,  and  most  of  the 
work  was  done  after  regular  business  hours. 
One  of  the  members,  a  carpenter,  aided 
most  efficiently.  The  structure  was  begun 
in  April,  and  about  Thanksgiving  time  the 
roof  was  completed.  We  all  went  to  work 
with  a  will,  and  in  order  to  keep  down  ex- 
penses the  duties  about  the  church  were  at- 
tended to  by  the  different  members.  Two 
ladies  were  designated  each  week  to  sweep 
it.  As  I  lived  near  the  edifice,  I  attended 
to  the  fires.  I  was  also  elected  as  one  of  the 
vestrymen,  in  which  capacity  I  served  for 
about  two  years,  when  I  was  elected  senior 
warden.  I  was  never  more  interested  in 
anything  than  to  see  that  church  a  success, 

200 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

and  it  was  a  success,  and  its  power  of  doing 
good  gradually  extended.  Our  first  rector 
was  a  kindly  old  gentleman,  who  believed 
that  one  of  the  paramount  duties  of  this 
world  was  in  doing  good  to  others.  He 
made  this  his  daily  creed,  and  lived  up  to  it. 
Those  who  live  in  the  West  know  that  a  cy- 
clone is  no  respecter  of  a  church  more  than 
of  any  other  building.  One  day  a  cyclone 
came  to  Denison,  and  lifted  the  little  church 
off  of  its  foundations.  At  a  comparatively 
slight  expense  it  was  replaced.  I  recall  that 
one  of  the  contributors  to  this  fund  Avas  the 
former  rector  of  St.  John's  church  at  Frank- 
lin, Pa.  Not  only  do  I  feel  grateful  for  this 
contribution,  but  for  many  other  acts  show- 
ing an  interest  in  my  welfare.  At  one  time 
when  some  misguided  young  man  of  wealth 
was  parading  under  the  name  of  "Coal-Oil 
Johnny,"  and  met  his  death  in  a  tragic  man- 
ner, my  obituary  began  to  appear  in  the 
newspapers,  together  with  a  record  of  my 
life.  At  that  time  this  rector  took 
it  upon  himself  to  set  at  rest  these 
misleading  reports,  and  was  kind 
enough  to  say  that  I  was  living  the 
life  of    a    respected    and    honored    citizen 

20 1 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

in  a  western  town,  and  that  most  of  the 
stories  told  of  me  could  not  be  justified  or 
sustained  by  the  actual  facts.  To  this  man 
I  owe  a  great  deal  for  putting  me  upon  the 
way  to  a  better  life  than  I  had  ever  known 
before  I  came  under  his  kind  and  thought- 
ful influence. 

Another  man  to  whom  I  owe  a  debt  of 
gratitude  was  Mr.  Issachar  Schofield,  of 
Dunlap,  Iowa,  a  Quaker,  who  owned  a  flour 
and  feed  store  in  Denison.  After  serving 
eighteen  months  in  the  department  store  I 
left  to  take  charge  of  the  Denison  branch 
of  Mr.  Schofield's  business.  The  latter  was 
one  of  the  squarest  men  I  have  ever  met. 
He  would  rather  have  parted  with  his  right 
arm  than  to  have  taken  undue  advantage 
of  anyone,  and,  as  a  consequence,  he  en- 
joyed great  credit  and  patronage.  After- 
wards his  Denison  business  was  increased 
by  adding  a  grain  elevator,  and  I  superin- 
tended all  of  the  business  connected  with 
that.  My  son  had  been  at  school  at  Ames, 
Iowa,  for  a  year,  and  coming  home,  and  anx- 
ious for  something  to  do,  I  put  him  at  work 
running  the  engine  in  the  elevator  for  a 
time. 

202 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

I  say  with  some  pride  that  during  the  en- 
tire period  of  my  service  with  Mr.  Schofield 
he  never  found  one  word  of  fault  with  the 
way  I  conducted  matters.  Affairs  were 
handled  honestly,  and  that  satisfied  him. 
Near  us  were  large  settlements  of  Swede 
and  German  farmers.  The  latter  were  our 
exclusive  customers,  and  would  trust  us 
implicitly  in  the  matter  of  weight  and  meas- 
urement of  their  grain.  These  farmers  were 
thrifty.  I  remember  one  old  German  who 
had  six  pretty  daughters,  but  no  sons.  The 
daughters  worked  on  the  farm,  and  they 
would  assist  their  father  in  drawing  the 
grain  to  market.  They  could  handle  the 
heavy  sacks  as  easily  as  a  man  could  have 
done.  I  remember  they  had  the  rosy  cheeks 
and  the  healthy  complexions  which  an  out- 
door life  gives. 

I  remained  with  Mr.  Schofield  until  the 
fall  of  1880,  when  he  decided  to  go  out  of 
business.  I  would  haA  e  purchased  the  Deni- 
son  branch  myself,  but  I  found  my  health 
giving  out.  The  dust  of  the  elevator  had 
proven  injurious  to  my  lungs,  and  I  there- 
fore felt  it  necessary  to  secure  some  other 
occupation.    Never  did  I  part  from  an  em- 

203 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

Ijloyer  with  more  regret  than  I  did  from  this 
good  old  Quaker  gentleman.  He  lived  up  to 
the  golden  rule,  and  one  of  his  mottoes  was : 
"When  buying  grain,  pay  all  you  can  for  it ; 
but  do  not  pay  so  much  that  you  will  have 
to  cheat  3^our  customer  in  weight." 

In  this  connection  I  might  say  that,  as  a 
side  issue,  my  employer  permitted  me  to 
conduct  a  small  coal  yard  on  my  own  ac- 
count. 

A  Franklin  gentleman,  who  was  then  do- 
ing business  in  Sioux  City,  learning  that  I 
was  in  Denison,  came  down  and  paid  me  a 
visit.  We  were  glad  to  see  him,  and  would 
have  been  glad  to  see  anyone  from  the  oil 
regions.  However,  in  conversation  with 
some  of  the  people  of  Denison  he  let  drop 
the  fact  that  I  was  the  famous  "Coal-Oil 
Johnny"  of  newspaper  notoriety,  and  this 
fact  soon  became  known  to  everyone  in 
Denison.  My  place  of  residence  soon  be- 
came located,  and  advertised  by  the  news- 
papers, after  which  I  had  an  opportunity 
offered  of  going  to  Chicago  and  entering  a 
dime  museum.  Many  other  offers  came  to 
me  from  showmen.  Yet,  while  my  identity 
became  known,  it  did  not  seem  to  make  any 

204 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK, 

difference  in  the  actions  of  my  Denison 
friends  toward  me,  for  the}^  always  treated 
myself  and  family  kindly.  Although  the 
most  outlandish  reports  appeared  in  the 
public  prints,  they  did  not  worry  me  as  for- 
merly; but  worry  me  they  did.  My  feelings 
towards  the  newspapers  were  not  cordial, 
and  when  a  "Burlington  Hawkeye"  man  one 
day  got  into  my  house  and  asked  for  an  in- 
terview I  effectively  fired  him  through  the 
portal  with  the  remark  that  if  during  my 
career  I  had  killed  half  a  dozen  or  so  of  his 
profession,  my  peace  of  mind  would  have 
been  much  greater. 

Possibly  I  did  not  look  at  the  matter  in 
the  right  way;  but  when  one  has  been 
hounded  day  and  night  by  column  after 
column  of  fabrication,  and  was  afraid  of 
walking  along  the  street  for  fear  of  being 
pointed  out  as  a  freak ;  when  he  has  seen  his 
family  suffer  humiliation  because  of  the  ly- 
ing propensities  of  some  irresponsible 
space-writer — until  then  he  cannot  compre- 
hend the  feelings  which  came  over  me. 

I  have  had  some  very  peculiar  experiences 
with  individuals  who  knew  all  about  me  and 
whose  information  was  gathered  from  read- 

205 


COAL  OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ing  the  reports  which  had  been  put  in  cir- 
culation. One  in  particular  comes  to  my 
mind  now,  of  a  traveling  man  who  came  up 
from  the  depot  with  me  one  day  in  the 
"bus."  Learning  that  my  name  was  Steele, 
he  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  known  "Coal-Oil 
Johnny"  Steele.  I  professed  ignorance  of 
such  an  individual,  Avliereupon  he  informed 
me  that  he  knew  him  at  one  time,  was  with 
him  when  he  bought  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel 
in  New  York  City,  and  rode  all  over  the 
country  with  him  on  a  special  train. 
Whereupon  I  think  I  was  justified  in  think- 
ing that  as  a  prevaricator  that  traveling 
man  was  something  of  what  the  boys  called 
a  "bird." 

While  in  Denison  I  gave  up  the  tobacco 
habit.  I  had  always  used  the  weed  to  ex- 
cess, and  was  always  chewing  or  smoking. 
It  made  me  nervous,  affected  my  health,  and 
I  resolved  to  rid  myself  of  the  habit.  My  ap- 
petite left  me,  and  for  a  long  time  after 
breaking  oft',  I  could  not  sleep.  It  was  one 
of  the  greatest  trials  I  ever  had,  but  I  won, 
and  with  that  habit  went  all  the  bad  ones  I 
ever  had,  and  for  twenty-five  years  I  have 
not  used  tobacco  in  any  form. 

206 


Latest  Photograph  of  Mr.   Siki  i.e, 
"Coal  Oil  Johnnv." 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

My  health  growing  somewhat  worse,  we 
decided  to  move  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
where  we  could  place  our  son  in  college.  We 
lived  in  Lincoln  during  the  winter  of  1880 
and  1881.  I  recall  that  it  was  an  exception- 
al season.  Snow  is  much  scarcer  in  that 
part  of  the  country  than  many  of  the  people 
of  the  East  imagine,  and  a  snow  storm  was 
welcomed  as  a  sort  of  novelty;  the  citizens 
took  advantage  of  the  pleasures  it  afforded 
in  peculiar  ways.  Improvised  sleighs  would 
appear  upon  the  streets  soon  after  a  fall  of 
snow,  a  familiar  kind  being  made  of  dry 
goods  boxes  i)laced  on  runners.  I  remember 
one  individual  who  hitched  his  horse  to  a 
rocking  chair.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  he 
was  the  chief  attraction. 

During  the  fall  of  1881,  my  health  having 
improved  to  an  extent  that  would  enable  me 
to  go  to  work,  I  secured  a  position  in  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store  in  Kearney,  Nebras- 
ka. A  few  months  later  my  family  followed 
me.  In  the  summer  of  1882,  there  being  a 
vacancy  in  the  freight  department  of  the 
Burlington  station,  I  decided  to  quit  the 
mercantile  business  and  return  to  my  for- 
mer occupation  of  railroading.    After  serv- 

207 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

ing  in  this  capacity  for  some  time,  I  was 
made  cashier,  and  worked  in  this  line  until 
the  spring  of  1886.  Kearney  was  a  lively 
little  town  at  this  time,  and  was  experienc- 
ing a  real  estate  boom  of  considerable  di- 
mensions. I  invested  some  money  in  this 
line,  and  realized  a  good  turn.  At  this  time 
I  also  invested  in  some  Nebraska  land  near 
Kearney.  When  I  purchased  it  the  nearest 
railroad  station  was  nineteen  miles  from  it, 
but  at  the  present  time  there  is  one  railroad 
within  two  and  a  half,  and  another  within 
three  and  a  half  miles.  I  still  own  this  land, 
rent  it  on  shares,  and  it  is  gradually  improv- 
ing in  value.  Kearney  was  a  great  shipping 
place  for  cattle,  and  the  cowboys  used  to 
visit  it.  After  a  roundup  these  individuals 
would  inject  a  little  excitement  into  the  life 
we  lived  there.  They  never  did  any  great 
injury,  but  their  fun  was  of  a  kind  to  scare 
a  tenderfoot.  They  would  ride  their  bron- 
chos through  the  streets,  fire  revolvers  in 
the  air,  and  emit  whoops  which  would  chill 
the  blood  of  anyone  unused  to  such  scenes. 
Another  favorite  amusement  was  to  ride 
their  ponies  into  a  saloon  and  ask  the  bar- 
tender to  hand  them  up  a  drink.  When  they 

208 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

had  disposed  of  it,  thoy  would  turn  the  ponv 
around,  give  a  shout,  and  ride  out.  Some- 
times they  would  race  their  animals  along 
the  sidewalks,  at  which  time  all  foot  pas- 
sengers discreetly  got  out  of  the  way. 

While  at  Kearney  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
assisting  to  reorganize  the  Episcopal  mis- 
sion, which  had  been  suspended  for  some 
time.  We  found  a  few  families  who  entered 
into  the  work  heartily,  and  we  began  hold- 
ing service  in  a  store  building;  later  the  ser- 
vices were  held  in  the  Christian  church  and 
a  Sunday  school  and  Ladies'  Auxiliary  or- 
ganized. The  bishop,  seeing  the  needs  of  the 
place,  sent  a  clergyman  and  furnished 
means  to  carry  on  the  work.  In  about  a 
year  we  had  a  nice  little  church  edifice. 
From  this  small  beginning  it  has  grown  to 
be  one  of  the  leading  churches  of  the  dio- 
cese. 

Finding  that  the  close  confinement  of  the 
oflftce  did  not  agree  with  me,  I  made  applica- 
tion for  a  change  that  would  give  me  outside 
work.  I  was  transferred  to  Louisville,  Ne- 
braska, and  given  charge  of  the  yard.  It 
was  with  sincere  regrets  that  we  left  Kear- 
ney and  the  many  kind  friends  we  had  made 

209 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

there.  Louisville  at  that  time  was  a  busy 
little  town  of  ten  or  twelve  hundred  inhabi- 
tants. There  were  two  large  stone  quarries 
which  were  getting  out  about  seventy-five 
ears  of  ballast  daily  for  the  Burlington  R. 
R.,  and  a  large  pottery  manufactory.  The 
countr}^  surrounding  was  given  over  to 
farming.  We  remained  here  about  two 
yearSj  when  I  was  transferred  to  Ashland, 
Nebraska,  a  much  larger  town,  about  mid- 
way between  Omaha  and  Lincoln.  I  re- 
mained here  about  ten  years,  when  I  was 
called  east  by  the  serious  illness  of  a  near 
relative,  and  our  time  has  been  divided  be- 
tween the  East  and  my  Western  home  ever 
since. 

And  so  I  have  written  the  story.  Doubt- 
less it  has  been  a  disappointment  to  those 
who  have  had  exalted  notions  of  the  esca- 
pades of  "Coal-Oil  Johnny."  However, 
those  who  have  known  me  for  years  I  trust 
will  at  least  give  me  credit  for  having  been 
as  truthful  in  my  statements  as  possible, 
and  will  realize  that  to  bridge  thirty-five 
years  with  memory  is  no  easy  task,  and  not 
always  proves  an  accurate  one.  The  prin- 
cipal reason  for  this  book  was  to  set  forth 

2IO 


COAL   OIL  JOHNNY— HIS  BOOK. 

the  main  details  of  my  foolish  career  which 
have  been  so  distorted  in  the  public  prints. 
Another,  but  perhaps  worthier,  motive  has 
inspired  me,  namely,  that  if  this  book  will 
act  as  a  corrective  influence  upon  some  wor- 
thy but  misguided  young  man  who  thinks  a 
wild  life  desirable  or  manly,  I  shall  feel 
more  than  repaid. 

So  thanking  my  readers  for  their  kind- 
ness and  consideration,  I  bid  them  good-bye. 


211 


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